Reflect the Sky
by Chibi Taryn Demon
Summary: A tale of where Aeris's troubled destiny will take her and how it connects her with Sephiroth. ACTUALLY UPDATED! GASP! Aeris begins her next great journey, while the Watchers' plans begin to go into motion. The race to get to Sephiroth is on.
1. Prologue: The End of Green Eyes

Though I have been reading and writing fanfiction for a while now, this is my first venture onto Fanfiction.net. Please be gentle with me, and no flames…^_^;;. Thanks. 

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XII and all associated products and characters are property of Squaresoft. I've got no right to them…sadly. 

Reflect the Sky

These pools that, though in forests, still reflect  
The total sky almost without defect,  
And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver,  
Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone,  
And yet not out by any brook or river,  
But up by roots to bring dark foliage on.

The trees that have it in their pent-up buds  
To darken nature and be summer woods --  
Let them think twice before they use their powers  
To blot out and drink up and sweep away  
These flowery waters and these watery flowers  
From snow that melted only yesterday.

--Robert Frost, "Spring Pools"__

Prologue: La Fin des Yeux Verts—The End of Green Eyes 

Green eyes, which had only just been closed in prayer, slid open. They were clear and bright, and compassion swirled in their depths. Their owner was unafraid, but not without fear; she was accepting of her fate. Green eyes…a second look showed that they were too bright, glazed, glossed over by sudden pain. Their color, a vibrant jade, dimmed and darkened as life faded, before finally sliding closed once more…to her friends, this time it was forever. She was enveloped by darkness, and time stretched limitless before her.

_Everything is all right, now, child…you've done it…you're safe…_

The thought that was not her own was comforting somehow. She couldn't quite remember what she had done, but to hear that her task had been accomplished made her heart swell with joy. She was safe! She felt different now, lighter; as though she had grown wings and was soaring through the air. A tingling feeling, alien but not unpleasant, danced over her. It restored warmth and strength to her body, and delved even deeper than that as it embraced her soul, repairing the hurt and fear that had scarred it over the years. It felt like someone was smiling down upon her, and their very smile was cleansing all her wounds. 

_Wake up, dear one…you have fulfilled your destiny…you can join us now…_

Slowly, falteringly, green eyes opened, and darkness fell away. A delicate hand reached up to rub at the eyes, and then paused in midair. The eyes searched the hand, and a look of disbelief seeped into them as they followed the arm down to the body. She was unharmed. The only hints to her violent death were the twin tears in her dress, right at her abdomen. One in front, one behind. She pressed her hands to them wonderingly, feeling the unbroken skin underneath. She removed her hands quickly, as though nervous that the wounds had vanished. 

Green eyes looked up and examined the area that had received her from…wherever she had just been. A mild gasp drew itself from her throat. As far as she could see were rolling hills and dense forests, with mountains rearing up in the background. All around her was the beauty of nature that had long since died in the land she had left. Everywhere was green and lush and fairly singing with life. The Lifestream pulsed and wove around her, while in the distance two great golden gates hung, opened for her. Sudden tears sprang to her eyes. She was overwhelmed by the splendor that greeted her.   

_Where…where am I?_

There was a soft sound behind her, like a sigh. She turned to see who she instinctively knew was the person who had smiled down at her before. It was a woman, middle-aged, and very beautiful. Long, dark chestnut hair wove down past her shoulders, and her emerald eyes were ageless. They shone with such love and tenderness that she immediately felt welcomed. The woman stepped forward so smoothly she seemed to be floating, then spread her arms and gathered her into a hug, a smile on her pink lips. She spoke without speaking.

_Aeris…my daughter…you are finally here…your mission is finished…_

It was at that moment that Aeris Gainsborough…remembered. Images blazed up inside her mind, slowly at first. There was a kind woman beaming at her—_Elmyra_,whispered her mind_—_and a dilapidated old church, with flowers blooming inside; then a burst of fear and glimpses of pursuers in blue she had seen before; and then a cold glass prison, and pain, and mad laughter. She trembled at the memories. They started coming faster, tearing through her mind with the force of a lighting bolt, and left just as quick.          

_Flash! _The woman before her—_Ifalna_—was weeping, reaching out for her, blood streaking down her body as life left her…  

_Flash! _They were running tests on her, injecting her with strange liquids that would overcome her with dizziness and nausea and that bitter knowledge that she wasn't and never would be strong enough to stop them…

_Flash! _Her blond friend had been taken by the enemy, and before she could react, had beaten her savagely with no trace of his former goodness in his eyes until blood dripped from her lips …

_Flash! _A man, clothed entirely in black, gazed at her for a split-second before he smiled viciously and thrust something at her. His haunting green eyes burned with malice and triumph as he smirked...

_Flash! _The screaming in her mind rose to a fever pitch, the warning lost in pained wails.Waves of agony ripped through her, and she looked down to see that a thin sliver blade had erupted from her stomach, coated in slick red blood. It was the last thing she saw before her eyes failed her…that and the pair of glowing green eyes…

_Remember…_

Clutching her head and pulling away from her mother, Aeris Gainsborough screamed.


	2. Chapter 1: The Outsider in Captivity

I hope you all like it so far. I'm a bit worried because I haven't played FFXII in quite some time…hope I'm getting everything right! I don't have the best memory. **sweatdrop** Anyways, on to the fic! ^_^ 

Chapter 1: La Étrangére en Captivité—The Outsider in Captivity

Aeris stared at nothing, her hands clutching at her face. A gentle touch, first on her arm, then on her temple, pacified her. Aeris stared up at Ifalna, trembling. Ifalna smiled benevolently at her, her warm hands reaching up to caress Aeris's face. She placed a loving kiss on her daughter's forehead, and spoke in a soothing, audible tone for the first time.

"Aeris, my sweet…you are safe now. You summoned Holy. You saved the Planet, and you have ascended to your final resting place." 

Aeris was silent for a moment, in doubt. Her mind felt strangely empty, and she realized it was because she could no longer hear the wailing of the Planet. Instead, she felt a soft, joyful humming; the Planet was healed. Ifalna nodded slightly at her.

"The Planet's life is returning, all because of you." Ifalna gestured to the area around them. "Its strength returns, and even the dwelling of the Cetra gains more power."

Aeris blinked before murmuring incredulously, "Is this…the Promised Land?"

"Yes," answered Ifalna, beaming, and repeated, "You are safe now." As if to reassure herself, she enfolded Aeris in her arms again. 

"Daughter…" choked the Ancient, sounding incredibly close to tears, "It has been so long since I held you last. I know that we were never completely separated, I could reach you telepathically if the need arose, but…that's different than holding you, being by your side, taking care of you…I am sorry. It must have been hard growing up without…and meeting such a fate…" She halted, then continued brokenly. "We will never be separated again, my heart."  

Contentment washed over Aeris and pushed the disturbing images away as she basked in the glow of her mother's love. She hugged Ifalna back fiercely, tears trickling down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't even remember the last time her mother had hugged her, as she had only been a baby at the time of Ifalna's death. They stood together, motionless; to them it was making up for all the time they had been robbed of. Ifalna finally broke their embrace, and clasped one of Aeris's hands in hers. 

"Come. The other Cetra are anxious to meet the Planet's savior." Aeris wiped her eyes and fiddled nervously with the material of her dress, but followed nonetheless. They entered a quiet, deserted field. The long strands of grass swayed in the gentle wind, reaching up to tickle Aeris's hands. She smiled a bit and drowned herself in the magnificence of the environment that enveloped her. For the first time in a long, long while, she truly felt…at peace. 

"Look, Aeris, your ancestors have arrived." Ifalna's comforting voice broke into her thoughts. Standing before them was a group of Cetra, heads held up proudly, eyes shining distantly with respect. 

"Aeris, daughter of Ifalna, last of the Cetra…we welcome you to the Promised Land, and commend you on your bravery and completion of the summoning of Holy." spoke the Cetra in front, a man with short blond hair and gray eyes. "You achieved what all Cetra were born to do, yet could not; through the strength of your prayers, you saved the Planet." 

Aeris blushed, and replied modestly, "Thank you, but I did what I had to do. And if it hadn't been for you, all of you, guiding me along the way, I never would have made it." The Cetra all smiled at her, their admiring gazes banishing whatever vestiges of fear and weariness she had left, instead instilling in her a bit of embarrassment. They surrounded her, eager to question her, to show her the Promised Land. In the midst of their respectful inquiries, Aeris recalled something that she never should have forgotten, and whirled around to face her mother. 

Green eyes worried and pleading, Aeris grabbed Ifalna's hands. "Mother…what of my friends?" Ifalna drew Aeris from the other Cetra, promising to bring her back after she "cleared her head", and brought her to a secluded area where the pulse of the ever-present Lifestream was the strongest. 

"Look, daughter, and you will see what came to pass, during your journey through the Lifestream to the Promised Land," whispered Ifalna, withdrawing to Aeris's side. Fearful of what she would see, Aeris faltered, but in the end the need to know what happened to AVALANCHE won out over her apprehension. With Ifalna's prodding, Aeris peered into the shifting shades of green that made up the winding cycle of souls. 

At first, all she could see was the swirling, wispy mass of the Lifestream, and while it was awe-inspiring, it was not what she wanted to see. The Lifestream suddenly dispersed, as though a strong wind parted it, and Aeris watched as the events that took place after her death unfolded before her. She wept as Cloud waded out into the cool water of the lake, his face damp with tears, and released her body to its watery tomb while the rest of AVALANCE stood silently on the shore, in varying states of shock and sorrow. She trembled as Cloud and the others battled Sephiroth, and then faced the full power of Jenova; she nearly retched in disgust of the abomination that was the Crisis from the Sky. And then she smiled with relief as Jenova was killed, once and for all, sacrificing Sephiroth in the process. Aeris, still watching, clasped her hands in front of her chest, feeling her racing heartbeat. 

"They're safe. All my friends are safe," she said to herself, a smile of pure happiness gracing her lips as a burden was lifted from her soul. She watched as the group parted amicably, to go their separate ways. 

Barret returned to his little Marlene, and took her out to live by the beaches of Costa del Sol, relaxed and happy that things were finally looking up. Red XIII traveled around a bit before returning to Cosmo Canyon to catch up on his studies and his relationship with his grandfather. Yuffie also wandered the Planet for a while, looking for new materias, but eventually returned to Wutai to help her father govern the people. Vincent wandered the countryside, ever silent, and did whatever he could to erase the stain Hojo had left on the Planet, mainly by killing monsters. Cid returned to Rocket Town in his beloved Highwind and met up with Shera, who (Aeris noted with amusement) he gradually became close to. Reeve, controller of Cait Sith, took over Shinra and immediately set about destroying Mako reactors, preferring to use safer methods of energy. And Tifa and Cloud…

Aeris smiled, her eyes tearing slightly, as she followed their journey: they paid their respects at Nibelhelm, for their parents, at Midgar, for the inhabitants of Sector 7, and at the City of Ancients, for her. They returned to Costa del Sol, to live in Cloud's villa. Silently, knowing they would never hear her anyway, she gave the two her blessings. 

As she gazed through the parted Lifestream, she was struck with the realization that none of her friends had forgotten her. In fact, it seemed that no one on the Planet had forgotten her. She blushed as she saw ballads and plays being written about her, and giggled embarrassedly when statues of her, as the Planet's Savior, were erected. Aeris was moved to tears when she saw Cloud and all the rest naming the huge new gardens outside of Midgar 'Aeris Gainsborough Square'. 

_Thank you…my dear friends._ Aeris slid her eyes closed and spoke a little prayer for each in turn, praying for their spirits to find peace and happiness. _Hopefully, every one of you will have a longer life than I. _She couldn't help the bitterness she felt upon thinking those words. 

Ifalna shook her shoulder. "It is not over yet, child." Startled, Aeris turned her attention back to the gap in the Lifestream. Sephiroth's death replayed before her, and she watched as his spirit was lifted into the Lifestream. And was rejected. 

Aeris met Ifalna's wise gaze. "Mother? Sephiroth…he could not enter the Lifestream?" 

"No," replied the elder Cetra, "his mind and body were so tainted by Jenova's influence that the Lifestream could not accept him to be reborn." Aeris's brow furrowed in confusion. 

"Then…what's happened to him?" She curiously followed Ifalna's outstretched hand to a huge, gnarled oak tree with splaying branches and a vast crown of dark olive leaves. Aeris's heart stopped beating for several seconds, and her blood seemed to freeze ice-cold in her veins. An indescribable fear gripped her, like thousands of sharp black claws digging into her flesh. A tiny, frightened sound left her lips. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet in a frantic attempt to escape. 

_Sephiroth!_

Ifalna caught her in her arms and rocked her back and forth, murmuring soft words of comfort, but Aeris's green eyes remained locked on the tree...or rather, who was leaning against it. Sephiroth was slumped against the trunk in a standing position, his eyes closed and his expression neutral. At first glance he appeared dead; almost imperceptibly, his chest rose and fell in a natural breathing rhythm. Binding him to the tree were thick strands of the Lifestream, covering him like a green-tinted, transparent cocoon around his chest, arms, and legs. 

Ifalna could feel Aeris shaking, and no wonder; the last time she had seen this man, he had killed her. 

"It's alright, Aeris, he's been put into a kind of…hibernation." Aeris swiveled her head to look at her mother. "He can't wake up."

"How…? Why is he here?" Aeris choked. "What happened?" Ifalna settled down across from her, blocking her view of Sephiroth. 

"It was quite strange, to say the least," confessed Ifalna, "when the Lifestream would not accept him, Holy itself was called down to see it the matter." She eyed Aeris carefully. "Do you remember anything about the prayer you said for Holy?" The young woman shook her head. 

"You prayed for Meteor to be pushed away, for the people of the Planet to be safe again, for the soil to become fertile once more, and for the happiness of your friends, among other things. You…prayed for your death to be quick."

Aeris averted her gaze in shame. "I'm sorry. That was selfish of me, I know, it's just that…I was so scared of dying…" Her voice caught and broke, and she twisted a piece of her brown hair fitfully. Ifalna wept inside for her daughter and the sacrifice she had been forced to make. 

She thinks she is selfish to ask for a quick death! Dear child, you knew your destiny as soon as the Planet talked to you for the first time. You knew you would die when you prayed for Holy, and you still did it! You have more courage than I could ever hope to possess.

But she said none of that to Aeris. Instead, she continued blandly, "You also prayed for the soul of Sephiroth. Why, the other Cetra and I still do not know. Surely you realized he would be the one to take your life?" 

Aeris was silent, thinking. She raised her head again. "Yes and no, Mother. I knew it would be his form that would strike me down, but not his mind. It was Jenova, of that I'm sure. She manipulated him into doing a great many horrible deeds. To her, I was an obstacle. I don't think he would have killed me had he been in his right mind." 

Ifalna's expression was unreadable, but Aeris got the distinct feeling she was uncomfortable. "You have…forgiven him, then?"

Aeris bit her lip, then glanced past her mother to Sephiroth's slumbering form. "I…I think I would eventually like to, but…I cannot. He did kill me, under Jenova's control of course, but every person has some measure of control over their actions. I didn't ask him to be saved because I forgave him…I prayed for his soul because I pitied him. He was tortured and deceived from the beginning. I guess I believed he deserved a second chance, even though he led a vicious life." 

Ifalna stood, patting Aeris's shoulder. "Daughter, you are a far better person than I." 

"Wait! How did he come to be here, in the Promised Land? He is not a Cetra…is he?" Aeris frowned. Ifalna shook her head 'no' and spoke.

"After your prayer was answered, and Holy was summoned, Sephiroth was brought here by Holy. It was going to obliterate him, but your prayer stopped it. Holy cleansed his mind of whatever final grips Jenova held on him, and restored his sanity. However, because of his Jenova cells, which cannot be erased short of killing him, the Lifestream still was not able to admit him. Thus, he has remained here, in an eternal sleep." Ifalna explained, her hands clenched tightly together. "The other Cetra and I were quite surprised to see your murderer admitted to the Promised Land, through your prayer no less." 

To that, Aeris said nothing. She merely cast another sad look to Sephiroth. 

"Aeris, you must leave him be. Even though Holy removed Jenova from his mind, he is still a dangerous, unstable man. Please…do not come to this grove anymore." Ifalna pleaded. "I don't want you getting hurt again, I couldn't bear it..." 

Smiling softly and displaying the gentle nature that had endeared her to AVALANCE, Aeris embraced her mother. "Don't worry, Mother. I won't come here anymore. I wouldn't want to cause you any pain, especially since we're together again." Happy tears sprang to Ifalna's eyes. 

"Come, Aeris, let's forget our sadness for a while. I'll show you all the Promised Land has to offer." She set off, nearly dragging Aeris behind her in her haste. Ifalna proudly displayed the magical sights of the Cetra's home: the many different species of flora and fauna that now existed only here; the crystal-clear tumbling waterfalls and fields of wildflowers; and a sprawling, breathtaking city that was a replica of the City of Ancients, as it must have looked when it was in its prime, before succumbing to time and war. Everything gleamed with beauty and radiated peace and life. 

The Cetra she met were polite and respectful, but as the day wore on, she realized they were withdrawn from her. Cold. Conversations between friends died when she passed; it seemed as though a constant hush hung about her. But Aeris shook it off, pretended not to see, and turned to Ifalna with the image of the Great City etched firmly in her mind. The scent of flowers danced on the wind, intoxicating, bringing a smile to Aeris's lips. 

Ifalna touched her hand. "What do you think?"  

"It's…it's…" Aeris couldn't speak for the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. _What do I say? What does she want to hear? _"Mother, it's like a dream…I'm seeing everything that you're showing me, but it's not registering in my brain. After all this time, and everything that's happened, it's like…"

"Shhhh…I know. I felt the same way when I saw the Great City for the first time," hushed Ifalna, stroking Aeris's hair, "it's such a wondrous feeling. The feeling that you'll finally be accepted, and that you won't have to run or be in fear anymore…the feeling that you are home."     

 Aeris nodded wordlessly, not wanting to tell Ifalna that her heart did not feel this way. She had seen the way the other Cetra had viewed her, with skepticism, like she was an outsider; the humans on the Planet had looked at her the same way. Perhaps she was. 

_I am, after all, only half-Cetra. They are pure. Maybe it is the human side of me that makes me weak…that makes me an outcast from both worlds. No matter what anyone says, I will always have the sense that I am different. No one on the Planet or the Promised Land could understand. But I cannot ask that of them anyway. It is my burden to bear. It was when I was alive, and it is when I have passed on._

Green eyes turned misty as their owner mulled over her troubling thoughts, however did not voice them. They were drawn to the two golden gates in the far distance she had first viewed when waking up in the Promised Land. For a moment they lost their shine and turned dark and menacing…prison gates. The gates of Shinra. Aeris shook her head fiercely.

_I am not a captive!! I'm just overwhelmed. That's all._

Still, she couldn't bring herself to look at the gates again.


	3. Chapter 2: The Music of the Moon

Chapter 2: The Music of the Moon—La Musique de La Lune 

Ifalna brought Aeris to her home in the Great City, which was really more of a peaceful suburban area than a city. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and the air was clean and smoke-free. The City was an ancient, pristine center for life, and Aeris had to admit, it was tempting to lose herself in its beauty and forget all her troubles. The buildings with their curls and parapets embraced nature, rather than quashing it. 

Ifalna chatted excitedly to Aeris as they prepared dinner together, recounting old stories and memories, telling her tales of what had been going on in the Promised Land. In return, Aeris told her tales of her life, from living in the Midgar slums and fleeing the Turks to joining up with AVALANCHE and eventually saving the Planet. Much of it Ifalna has seen already, but some of it was new to her, and she listened eagerly. Darkness soon fell upon the Promised Land, gentle and caressing, and the two women parted to go to bed. Ifalna had kept a separate bedroom, neat and untouched, for her daughter's eminent arrival.               

Aeris spent her first night in the Promised Land restlessly. She tossed and turned for hours, tired but unable to shut her eyes. She knew why. If she fell asleep, the dreams would come. When she showed no sign of going to sleep, her mind tortured her with dizzying images of blood and destruction anyway. She hid her head under her pillow and interlaced her fingers above it.

_When will this stop? Will it ever? _

The thought was sobering, and effectively dampened her happiness at being in the Promised Land. What good was this doing her? How would she live with the afterlife she had earned? Finally, exhausted physically and mentally, Aeris drifted off into an uneasy slumber. Her sleep would be interrupted periodically by a wafting between conscious thought and being dead to the world. 

Aeris turned on her side, then flat onto her back. Her breathing became steady, and her features smoothed out. Silence and peace reigned for several hours. Then…

A beautiful, lilting melody drifted in through Aeris's open window. It was spun moonlight and sibilant, forgotten words. They sang silver and ancient and enchanting. Soothing, yet achingly melancholy at the same time, it spun its magic on her; it sounded unlike any earthly instruments she'd ever heard. Swelling to a crescendo, the melody caressed Aeris, wrapped around her, and chased away her nightmares. The tune seemed to meld and lengthen together until it formed a single word, sung in a silky whisper, over and over again. 

_Aeris…Aeris…_

She sat up in bed slowly, a faraway look on her face. Her lips parted slightly, but she remained silent. The music continued on, strangely seductive and flashing silver as it added more words to its tune.

Aeris…come…to your destiny…Aeris…you must…come… 

Aeris slid out of her bed and touched her bare feet to the cold floor unflinchingly. The blankets trailed off and lay still as she made her way across the room. The music urged her on with invisible hands, beckoning her to follow the path it created. It knew exactly where it was leading her. 

You must…touch, Aeris…only then will you be…free… 

 The melody whispered in her ears with a tongue of sugar and honey. The front door creaked slightly as it was pushed open. Moonlight flooded in through the gaping doorway, casting a square of white light on the floor. The light bathed Aeris in a milky glow and seemed to intensify the power of the music, causing everything to become even more ethereal. Her nightgown fluttered in the gentle night breeze.  

He was…is…will forever be…waiting for…you…only you…you must come… 

Aeris kept walking, completely under the influence of the haunting and utterly captivating music. Her heart and mind were at peace; her eyes were half-open and unseeing. But somewhere deep inside herself in the subconscious part of her mind, Aeris was trembling in fear. A heavy sense of wrongness overwhelmed her. Her arms and legs had freed themselves of her control and moved mindlessly to the music's directions. Perhaps sensing her mounting fear, the chorus of voices grew even louder and more persistent, and not unlike the call of the Planet.

_Touch…touch…have no fear…he is waiting…you must follow…destiny's course…_

Smiling dreamily, Aeris stretched out one slim arm, pale against the night, and reached out. Her fingertips twitched as they came in contact with something cool and silky—

And a fiery bolt of pain tore up from her foot, effectively jolting her. The music played on, now weaker than before and pushed to the background. Aeris blinked several times, sleep falling away, and looked down at her throbbing foot. A sharp stick had stabbed the unprotected sole, and she moved her foot away. The wind, tuneless, turned bitingly cold and howled around Aeris's frail form. An eerie feeling entered her heart, as if someone was watching her. 

_Wait…what am I doing outside? _She realized suddenly. 

Aeris looked up...and froze, her eyes widening in absolute terror. A cold shiver raced up her spine and settled itself in the pit of her stomach. A petrified moan rose and died in her throat. 

The music had led her to Sephiroth's tree. And he was awake. Aeris's hand was no less than an inch from his face. What she had been touching, in her trancelike state, were the free wisps of his silvery hair, blown by the wind. He said nothing, only stared at her. His green eyes burned, smoldering, in the darkness. Aeris shrieked and snatched her hand away. 

"You…you're awake," choked the frightened young woman, "how can that be?" 

Sephiroth remained silent, and though his eyes narrowed slightly, lost none of their intensity. They focused on her, and only her. Noises and light unexpectedly flooded the house behind Aeris, and she whirled around. The music strained for a moment, then faded away, as distant and blurred as a dream. When she turned back around, Sephiroth was still and asleep once more. 

She pressed her hands to her chest, right above her wildly pounding heart. _What…what just happened here? _

The inhabitants of the house stumbled out, yawning and rubbing their eyes. The man was grumbling something under his breath about being woken, but immediately stopped when he realized who it was who had roused him. 

"Lady Aeris, whatever is the matter?" The Cetra woman asked. "We heard a yell..."

"Oh…um…" Aeris's eyes darted back and forth nervously. She knew, for some reason, that she couldn't tell them about the music, whose memory was already fading, or about Sephiroth. Her mind raced to come up with an excuse. 

"I was having a little trouble sleeping, so I decided to take a quick stroll," she explained, rather red-faced, "and I must not have been paying attention…I-I stubbed my toe on a rock." 

"Oh." The Cetra couple shared a confused glance. Aeris could just guess what they thought of her now. _This definitely isn't going to help me fit in!_

"I'm sorry for disturbing you." She apologized, bowing shortly. "I guess I'll be going now. Goodnight!" Her face on fire, Aeris hurried away in the direction of Ifalna's house, leaving behind the bemused Cetra. Aeris wasn't thinking about them, however. The only image her mind showed her was a pair of blazing green eyes. 

She shivered, and it wasn't because of the chilling wind. Aeris ran the rest of the way home, but couldn't leave behind the memory of those eyes. 

Sephiroth stirred against the Lifestream bonds, and a faint reminder of the moonlight harmony swept around him before sinking into oblivion once more.  

Ifalna rose early the next morning, as was her habit. She peered out the window to see the sun peeking over the horizon, bathing the land in golden radiance. Birdsong greeted her ears. 

"Another lovely day!" She beamed. She rose and got dressed, donning a flowing white dress with golden trim and matching arm bracers. Ifalna brushed her wavy chestnut hair, drawing it back into a half-ponytail with a golden ribbon, then tiptoed down the hallway to Aeris's room. She wasn't expecting Aeris to be awake. All she really wanted to do was to check on her beloved daughter, to make sure she was still here, to make sure this all hadn't been some sort of wonderful dream. 

Ifalna started when she entered the room; Aeris's bed was immaculately made. In fact, it looked as though she had never slept in it at all. The room looked achingly bare, and Ifalna's heart lurched. 

"I'm out here, Mother." Aeris's voice was solemn and quiet and came from the direction of the balcony. The glass doors leading to it were open. Ifalna stepped into the room but didn't intrude onto the balcony. She simply watched. 

Aeris was standing at the balcony's edge, right at the marble banister that curved around it. Her long russet curls tumbled down her back and glinted in the sunlight. Aeris herself was motionless as the light played across her face; her green eyes simply stared off into the distance, unfocused and…

_Troubled? Why would Aeris be troubled? _Ifalna was perplexed. Aeris looked deep in thought, so she didn't disturb her. She was just heading to the door when Aeris stopped her.

"Did you…hear…anything last night?" asked the young woman, her voice strangely aloof. 

Ifalna blinked. "No, I'm sorry. Why? Was there some sort of disturbance?"

Aeris lapsed into silence, then caught sight of her mother's worried face. Her mask cracked, and she smiled brightly. "No. Nothing at all." Relieved, Ifalna grasped Aeris's elbow and guided her downstairs. 

"Now you sit down at the table, dear, and I'll make us both a nice breakfast. Then, perhaps later we can visit the City again, or make a visit to the Lifestream…" 

Aeris nodded politely, but was only half-listening. Her eyes were riveted to the window. She could see, past the sloping hills and forested countryside, a tree that easily dwarfed all the others near it. It was the tree where her murderer rested in eternal sleep…

_Stop it! Stop thinking about him! _Aeris commanded herself. _There's nothing to think about anyway. He's as good as dead, now. Mother even said, he can't wake up unless I want him to. And I definitely don't want him awake! So last night was just a stupid dream, and I would do well to forget it. _

Unbidden, her mind recalled the silkiness of Sephiroth's hair against her fingertips, and Aeris shuddered. From disgust or from something else, even she could not say.    


	4. Chapter 3: A Rumor on the Wind

Dedicated to all the nice people who reviewed my story! Thank you Justine, Sailor Leo, Renee, Blood of Sephiroth, Liz, Fallen Virtue, Aloria, Kyris, Tori and CJ-Chan!! You made my day when you took the time to throw me a comment bone! ^_^ So this chap's for you! 

Tomorrow (March 3) is my birthday!! Yay! ^_^ Be nice and write a review for my birthday! 

Chapter 3: Un Rumeur sur le Vent—A Rumor on the Wind 

"That Aeris girl is weird." 

"Quiet! If someone hears that, you're gonna be in so much trouble—"

"I don't care. You know what I heard from Yensith? Every night for the past two weeks, his brother and his wife, the ones who live down by the Grove, wake up to see Aeris standing in front of Sephiroth's Tree in some sort of trance! You've gotta admit, that is pretty damn freaky." 

"…yeah, I guess that is pretty weird."

"And get this! Sometimes they say she's humming along really softly, but only when she's in the trance, and there's no music playing they can hear! She just stands and stares at Sephiroth, and sometimes she stretches her hand out like she's gonna touch him!" 

"They could be making it up, you know. It's no secret that a lot of Cetra here don't really care for Aeris. I think it's because she's half human, which is reasonable; that is very distasteful. Ifalna never should have married Gast, we all warned her about him."

"We did. And look at how things turned out. Her daughter is a silly little halfling who sleepwalks!" The two chatting young Cetra burst into laughter. Their laughter died, however, when Ifalna Gainsborough Gast appeared. 

"Ahem. Excuse me." Her eyes burning coldly, Ifalna strode in between the two gossiping kids, thoroughly shutting them up. Anger seethed in her heart even as her features remained set in stone. She thought fiercely_, Stupid little scandalmongers! These young Cetra have no respect for their elders and betters! I wish I could teach them some manners…with the Princess Guard!_

She allowed her fury to stew for several more minutes before her thoughts inevitably turned to her daughter. _Oh, Aeris. I wish you would tell me what was wrong! _Even as she tried to deny what the other Cetra were saying, in her heart she knew there was some truth to it. Every night for fourteen nights now, Aeris had gotten out of bed and walked to the Grove, in a sleepwalker's trance. She would proceed to stand directly in front of Sephiroth's Tree, as it had been aptly named, and move as though to touch him. Every night, she was stopped from placing her hand on his skin by the Cetra who lived near the Grove, or some other change in her environment, such as the snapping of a twig or call of a night bird. 

Ifalna attempted to keep the rumors about Aeris from flying wild, but the girl wasn't making it any easier. She didn't spend much time in the City or with the other Cetra; she preferred the company of the beautiful Grove or the windswept Plains to social interactions. She was perfectly happy when she was with Ifalna, but she was always happier when alone. Aeris was quiet, withdrawn almost, and dodged questions about her sleepwalking and Sephiroth with ease. 

_I don't understand. She's finally freed from all her mortal troubles. She's with me, her true mother, in a land of eternal peace and beauty! What is wrong with her?_

Aeris never acted sad. She had only cried twice upon coming to the Promised Land, to Ifalna's knowledge. The first time was when they had met and hugged among the wildflowers, and those were tears of joy. The second time was when Ifalna had summoned Professor Gast's spirit from the Lifestream. Upon meeting her father, whom Aeris had spent even less time with than her birth mother, the young Cetra had burst into happy tears. 

That memory brought a smile to Ifalna's face. Aeris had been jubilant to be reunited for Professor Gast, if only for a little while. On his part, Gast couldn't believe how beautiful his daughter had become, and how she had changed from a tiny squalling baby into a sweet young lady. Gast was obviously charmed by her, and he mentioned many times, to Aeris's embarrassment, how proud he was of her. 

Then Ifalna frowned. The little family of three talked together of happy times for a small while longer, before Aeris quietly asked if she could talk to Gast alone. Ifalna had complied without question, knowing they had some catching up to do, but now that she thought back to it…there had been something in Aeris's eyes just then.

Something…haunted about them. Uneasy, unsure. Nervous. 

Ifalna pondered this, her own eyes clouded over with worry. _What did they talk about? Gast looked very puzzled, I remember that clearly, and Aeris looked almost skeptical. I didn't want to watch them too long; that would be rude.  _

She watched as the two Cetra from before passed by her, sniggering and throwing furtive glances over their shoulders. 

_That's it! I'm finding my daughter, and I'm getting to the bottom of all this! _ 

A slim figure in a pale yellow sundress sat alone.

Aeris sighed and allowed the wind to ruffle her unbound chestnut hair. She was laying in the middle of the Plains, a place she found herself visiting more and more in the two weeks she had been in the Promised Land. It was perfect for an afternoon of flower picking, or bird watching, or even simple contemplation…which was what she was doing now. Her eyes were closed serenely; her sooty eyelashes casted shadows upon her rosy cheeks. Golden shoots of wheat and wildflowers of every color swayed around her, their stalks rustling and making a rough sort of melody…

Green eyes snapped open, alert and almost frightened. Aeris stayed completely still for several minutes, straining heard to catch any hint of a tune. 

Nothing.

She exhaled the breath she didn't know she had been holding, and relaxed once again. Her face, normally open and smiling, was tense and guarded. _This isn't how I pictured my afterlife…constantly worrying that I'll be entranced by music that only I can hear, seeing Sephiroth nearly every day, keeping things from my mother, being ostracized for being different…I think I miss being alive. At least then, I knew what I had to do, and why I was doing it. I don't know anything anymore. _

Aeris watched the fluffy white puffs of clouds float lazily overhead. When she was out here, alone and not remembering, she could almost forget her unhappiness. Two birds darted about each other, a duo of red streaks against the deep blue sky. Their calls lingered long after they had vanished, and because of that she almost missed a low, sonorous whisper that called out to her. 

Aeris… 

Aeris slowly, terrifyingly, became aware of another presence in the Plains with her. She stood and turned around, searching for what she knew was there...watching her. The presence, although invisible, was almost positively malevolent, and the air nearly hummed with its power. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up.    

Aeris… 

Her heart started to speed up in its beats. "Who's there?" Her voice sounded weak and shaky even to her own ears; apparently the phantom speaker thought so too, and laughed mockingly.

You fear me, don't you, Aeris? 

"Whoever this is, you had better stop right now!" Aeris shouted heatedly, her trembling hands belaying her nervousness. She set about looking for a weapon, but the Plains were bare of sticks, rocks, even pebbles.       

You fear me because you are like me…you are different like me… 

"What?" Aeris looked perplexed now. "Like you? What are you talking about?"

_You remember…Gast told you the legends. You know of what I speak._

She remained uncomprehending for another moment; her face became pale, and her eyes stood out like two great viridian gems. "Those aren't true! They aren't! He even said that they've lost a lot of their meaning! You're lying to me!" Aeris clapped her hands over her ears to block the voice, but the echo of his laughter rang on and on.

One day you shall belong to me! 

"Aeris…Aeris. Aeris!" There was a touch on her shoulder. The young Cetra woman screamed and jerked away, reeling as though burned. 

"Aeris, it's me!" Ifalna shouted, confused and extremely upset. Why was her own daughter cringing away from her, staring at her with vacant eyes? More questions to be answered, and Ifalna wasn't sure she wanted to know what laid beneath Aeris's eyes. Ifalna's sharp voice cut through the fog in the young woman's mind, and she looked up.

"…Mother?"

"Aeris, we have to talk." This strange little episode had only strengthened the elder Cetra's resolve to figure out what was going on. Aeris blinked, then placed her hands in her lap demurely, as if nothing was wrong. Ifalna leaned forward and put hers over Aeris's gently clasped ones. 

"Aeris…you have to tell me what's wrong. I know something's been weighing on your mind, and by you just keeping it all inside isn't helping anyone! Whatever it is, I won't judge you. I only want to help you, Aeris, you're my daughter and I would do anything for you…" Ifalna's eyes were glittering with unshed tears. "Please tell me!"

Guilt pressed down on Aeris like an a set of weights hung around her neck. _How could I have been so selfish? Here I am, feeling sorry for myself, and all the while I'm hurting my mother! All she's done is watch over me, and care for me, and love me, and I've paid her sacrifice back by acting like a spoiled little child. _

She hesitantly met Ifalna's eyes again, and made her decision.

"I'll tell you the truth." 


	5. Chapter 4: The Old Legend of Dreams

Standard Disclaimer Here: Final Fantasy is the property of Squaresoft!

Chapter 4: La Vieille Legende des Reves—The Old Legend of Dreams

Aeris took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally composing herself. Ifalna watched intently, afraid that if she said anything, Aeris would shy away and keep to herself once more.

"I..don't know where it start," fumbled the young Cetra, twisting a strand of her hair anxiously. "There's so much to explain…"

"Just start at the beginning," soothed Ifalna, "and the words will come." Aeris nodded at her mother's sage advice, took another breath, and began falteringly. 

"Ever since I've arrived here in the Promised Land…I've had dreams. I'm not even sure if dream is the right word for it, because they're so vivid and real while I'm experiencing them. I guess it's more like I fall into a trance. Music plays, and it's the most beautiful music I've ever heard…like moonlight! It wraps around me, and draws me outside. It has a tune that I forget as soon as I wake up, but while I'm in the trance, it's so powerful it seems like it's coming from inside me." 

Aeris hesitated, and reached over to pluck a wildflower. She twirled it between her fingers, and kept her green eyes trained on its violet petals as she spoke.

"Then I get up out of bed, and start walking. I go straight to the Grove, still in my trance, with the music still playing. Sometimes…sometimes I can hear voices in the music, but they sound fuzzy and far away. They tell me strange things…" Around and around went the little purple flower. "That I have to follow my destiny…and touch to be free. I don't understand what they mean, so I don't think I can explain them any better. And I keep going until I reach his tree…Sephiroth's. Mother, this is going to sound so frightening to you…but I want to touch him so badly, even as the part of my mind that's still awake is screaming. It's an overwhelming feeling, and it just overpowers any sense of reason I have left." 

Ifalna's mouth was open, and her eyes were riveted on Aeris's face. Her hands gripped and released her white dress spasmodically. "You…you poor dear. I had no idea…" Aeris caressed the silken petals of the blossom and smiled sadly.

"How could you? I wasn't exactly offering to share this with you. Thankfully, something always happens to stop me from…actually touching him. I don't know what would happen if I did, but I have the feeling it wouldn't be anything good."  

The mother and daughter lapsed into an oppressive silence. The only noise in the Plains was the soft whisper of the wind. Ifalna found herself straining to catch any hint of a melody, to see if she could hear what was slowly driving her daughter mad. She decided to voice her question, while Aeris was still talking openly to her.

"Does this have to do with what you asked Gast that day?" 

Aeris's eyes stared into hers, wide and almost guilty. "Yes…how did you know?"

"Just a hunch," chuckled Ifalna, struggling to retain an air of lightheartedness. _I'll help you through this, Aeris, no matter what! _

"I told Father about my trances, too, and asked him if he had every read about any similar experiences. He looked at me, and the first thing he did was apologize." Aeris sighed. "He said he had read about this in a tattered parchment he found in an abandoned Cetra colony near Icicle Village."

Before she could stop herself, Ifalna exclaimed, "There's no such place. The only place on the Planet we lived was the City of Ancients." 

"This was before the Cetra retreated from the humans…before the Crisis from the Sky poisoned them. It was when we lived peacefully among humans." Aeris's voice was steady, but the purple flower still twirled. "Father said my nightly trances were following, to the letter, what the parchment had described. It detailed an extremely old Cetra legend called the Soul Prophecy, which Father said has been all but forgotten by all in the Promised Land."

"Soul Prophecy…" echoed Ifalna, a tingle racing down her back. "He's right. I've never heard of it." She didn't like the way it sounded when spoken; ominous, with the hint of things soon to come. 

Aeris nodded. "The Soul Prophecy dictates that every millennia, a soul is created by the Lifestream that is far too powerful for one person to carry; ultimately, it would kill its one host. Therefore, the soul is divided into two halves, both still stronger than any normal soul, and each half is given to one child born on the Planet. The Prophecy said that usually, but not always, the bearer of the half-soul would be a Cetra, because they were so in-tune to the Planet's will. But it also said that the Bearers would always be alone, even within their own kind. The feeling of their half-soul would be a burden they would have to carry for the rest of their lives. Without finding their other half, the Bearer remains incomplete and unfulfilled, and they die wondering what could have been."

Aeris watched herself spin the violet blossom, around and around, an endless circle of lavender. Ifalna, too, watched, afraid to look into Aeris's eyes…afraid at what she would see if she looked there. Even as the question of what this had to do with Aeris surfaced in her mind, it was answered with four words carrying dark promise and excruciating worry. 

_She is the Bearer. She is the Bearer. Who is her other? _

"There's more," said Aeris. "The Soul Prophecy also told the tale of the first Bearers, who were first-generation Cetra. They found each other relatively early on in their lives, and became inseparable. Together, they learned how to harness the power granted to them. They would have gotten married, if circumstances had been kinder to them." 

Ifalna was filled with a growing sense of dread. "What happened to them?"

"In their twenty-fifth year of life, Jenova, the Crisis from the Sky, fell into the care of the Cetra, pretending to be their hapless friend. But they were all deceived. She betrayed them, and spread among them a disease to turn them into horrible, bloodthirsty monsters. Only a few escaped or were spared, and these first two Bearers were among them. The Bearers united their power and managed to seal Jenova into the ground, but during the battle, the female was dealt a deathblow, and died from her fatal blow. The male died from illness, but it was truly believed he died from a broken heart, without his soul mate. The Bearers were named Zephyr and Cirrus."

Ifalna gasped, and halted the spinning of the flower with her hands. "Aeris…Zephyr and Cirrus? Are you certain? Those were the names of our first King and Queen…''

"They were the first King and Queen of the Cetra. They were also the first Bearers." Aeris forlornly said. "It was what killed them. They knew they were the only ones who could stop Jenova. It was decreed that every King and Queen after them would have to be Bearers. However, only the next pair was found; it was Tamm and Aloria, known as the Enlightened, for under their rule we flourished. Yet the next three millennia, the Bearers lived and died on the Planet without ever meeting each other, and that was why the Cetra held no rulers. That was why our numbers dwindled done to nothing. Our saviors remained divided and alone."

"Aeris…what are you saying? Are you a Bearer? Is that why you're having these…trances? Is that what Bearers do?" Ifanla's voice shook. 

"Father said I showed all the signs of a Bearer. The dreams, the sleepwalking, the intense power…it's all there. Those are all signs designed to help the Bearers find each other." She shrugged helplessly. "He said I'm the female half of the soul." 

Worry tinged Ifalna's mouth like bitter bile. Her blood rushed in her ears, a roaring, rushing waterfall. It seemed to her in that moment, every thing in the Plains was magnified. She saw the details of her daughter's face with amazing clarity, and heard the chittering of some small animal perhaps twenty feet away. She felt the smooth fabric of her dress with overly sensitized fingertips. Ifalna watched herself speak; she saw as her mouth moved and the words tumbled from her lips as though in slow motion.

"Who is the male half?"   

The little purple flower was crushed in Aeris's sudden iron grip. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.  

"Sephiroth," she said. 

With a shocked little cry, Ifalna fell limply onto her back and fainted, her mind eclipsed by sweet darkness. 

Hee hee! Don't kill me for ending it there! ^_^ R and R! 


	6. Chapter 5: I Don't Believe in Sunny Days

            Enjoy! ^_^

Chapter 5: Je ne Crois pas Dans les Jours Ensoleilles—I Don't Believe in Sunny Days

It was dark, and he couldn't remember. 

Fragments of what may have been memories swirled around in the confusing fog of his mind. There was a red wash over everything; what he saw was perpetually tinged in scarlet. He saw people, but their individual faces were blurred, as though he were looking at them through rippling water. Their mouths moved, but the words came out sounding garbled and alien. He saw tears, and flames, and death. 

It was cold, and he couldn't move.

He felt rather than saw the metal shackles around his wrists, felt their stinging bite around his ankles, felt their frigid caress around his neck. Their chill cut straight to the marrow of his bones. Specters whirled around him in a sick carousel of pained shrieks and clawing hands. They screamed their endless torment to him, but he couldn't make out human faces past their ghastly, phantasmal appearances, and so he looked away. 

It was haunting, and he couldn't stop.

There was only one girl among the ghosts of past times. She stood forlorn and alone, looking pale and frightened, lips tinged blue, but her stance was firm. Long tresses of sun-kissed chestnut flowed around her shoulders down to her waist. Her eyes were a very vivid green, and she was the vision of an angel. But then, even as he watched, a cut spread across the angel's chest and down to her abdomen. It turned into a gaping hole that oozed a crimson river down her entire front. The horrible wound didn't hinder her in the least as she stepped through the whirling specters and made her way over to him. Her face was a mask of nothing. For some reason, the sight of this one little girl-child sent shivers of revulsion into his numbed body. 

It was frightening, and he couldn't get away.

She stopped when she was nearly right before him. Her green eyes narrowed in on his face; they were cold, lifeless, and devoid of all emotion. She placed one freezing hand on his face, and she smiled fiercely in a bloody grin with vermilion rivulets running down her chin. In disgust, he tried to jerk away, but her fingers curved slightly and dug painfully into his skin. She yanked his head down to her level, and spoke those three little words that had never hindered or affected him before, but now sliced into him with the force of a raging storm. Just three little words…

"You're a murderer."

Was he really a murderer? She sounded so sure of herself, and while a part of him shuddered at her words and their implications, another part of him gloated. Why? Did he like murdering? And who was this girl? Why was she telling him this? Where was he? In fact, who was he?  

It was dark, and he couldn't remember.

The girl forced him to look at her again. "Look at your hands, murderer. They will give you all the answers you seek." It passed from her lips with such a twisted smile that he was almost afraid to look. But the curiosity and the need to know was stronger, and his eyes dropped down to his chained hands. 

Blood.

They were covered in blood, dripping down his arms, his hands, onto the floor, bright splashes of red in the void that surrounded him. Bile flooded his throat and he tried to look away, but his eyes remained glued to his bloody hands through will that was not his own. It streamed wetly into his skin, seeped into his pores, and stained him so darkly he knew he could never be cleansed. The crimson was all over him now; he could feel it running down his body in sticky, sickening torrents. Red everywhere…

"Huh huh huh." The girl was chuckling, which was a horrible grotesque sound. "You don't like knowing the truth? You loved the blood of innocents well enough before, murderer. Why don't you want to bathe in it now? This is your eternal reward!" Her deranged laughter tore at his ears until he nearly wept. Confusion and dizziness overcame him. His shoulders sagged and his legs gave out, even as the ruby tide of unending blood pooled larger.

"Excellent," said the watchers, from very far away.

Aeris carefully wrung out the damp rag and placed it on her mother's head. Ifalna still looked terribly pale, but her breathing had evened out, and she had stirred only a few moments ago. 

_Since I told her about the Soul Prophecy, and this was her reaction, I doubt she's happy about this. _Aeris bit her lower lip and gently brushed away a stray strand of Ifalna's hair. After Ifalna had collapsed, Aeris had screamed for help. It was silly, of course, but it was her first instinct, and it drew a Cetra man who had been swimming in the nearby lake. He had helped Aeris carry Ifalna back to their house; when he asked what had happened to her, Aeris made up a lie about Ifalna being out in the sun too long. 

She toyed with the edge of the bedspread idly. _Poor Mother. All she probably wanted was for us to have a peaceful life here in the Promised Land, when we were finally together. Instead, this has come up. Ah…I never asked to be a Bearer. Just like I never asked to be the savior of the Planet. _Aeris jumped a little as Ifalna groaned and stirred under the blankets. 

"Mother?" Aeris leaned over and removed the cool cloth from the elder Cetra's forehead. "How are you feeling?" Ifalna, taking a deep breath, slowly opened her eyes and blinked, in all an action very reminiscent of her daughter.  

"Aeris…? Oh…I am fine, dear." Ifalna hid her hands under the blankets so Aeris would not see them trembling. "It's just a little shocking to hear all of…that…all at once." At Aeris's mute nod, Ifalna continued warily. "Are you…quite certain that all of this is true? You said yourself it was a very old tale, only a legend really…it could be just a myth." 

Aeris smiled, but it didn't reach her overly bright emerald eyes. "That's what I said to Father too, at first. I was angry and upset with him…I thought he was lying to me. At that time, he had to rejoin the Lifestream, but the next day, I summoned him again. He explained everything to me, and he admitted that the Soul Prophecy was exceedingly old, and in a mostly forgotten derivation of the Cetra language, plus the ink it was written in had faded and some sections were missing. He was forced to translate the surviving parts, and said he may have misinterpreted some things."

"So there's still a chance?" Aeris nearly winced at the crushing hope in Ifalna's voice. "There's a chance Gast is wrong, that's what you're saying? You might not be a Bearer, and Seph—he might not be your other half, and the whole Soul Prophecy may just be a silly mistranslated mistake?" 

Aeris swallowed, forcing the negative answer down her contracting throat, and a sickly smile graced her lips. "Perhaps." _But Father's voice was very quiet then, and he looked at me with eyes filled with regret and sorrow and bleakness, and I knew he wouldn't tell me this if it weren't true. But I won't tell you, Mother. Who am I to destroy your hope? _

Ifalna snatched Aeris to her and hugged her tightly, murmuring comforting words of love into her hair. Aeris was silent, and said nothing. 

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and birds sung happily on the breeze. To every other Cetra, it was another perfect, gorgeous midsummer's day. Only Aeris's green eyes could see differently, beyond the surface. It wasn't even that she could see it. 

She could feel it.

It was the tension beneath the earth, and the heaviness about the air, and the dark clouds hovering just behind the horizon. It was the dark glimmer under the water, the slight edge in the breeze, and the lone call of the raven at night. She could sense the Planet calling out to her, trying to tell her something, but she was too detached from it in the Promised Land, and its message couldn't quite reach her mind directly. It was muddled somehow; and she grew sad when she remembered how comforting the ever-present company of the Planet had been, in her times of crisis or fear. Yet even with the weak subtle hints the Planet managed to send, Aeris caught on.   

_Nothing good can come of this. _Aeris shuddered and her eyes trailed over instinctively to the Grove. _Something is happening. And I don't know what.  _

"She senses something," said the watchers, from a bit closer now.  


	7. Chapter 6: The Keeper of Time

Thanks for being patient with me. ^_^ I need reviews, please please! 

Chapter 6: The Keeper of Time—Le Gardien du Temps 

Aeris smiled and hummed cheerfully to herself as she wove through the crowds of Cetra inhabiting the City. It was mid-afternoon, the busiest time of day, and the cobblestone streets were full of Cetra shopping, talking, eating, and just strolling around. Aeris looked around, and her smile faltered. The City was much bigger than other places she had been during her short lifetime, and she soon realized she was lost. She tapped a nearby man, clothed in gold-trimmed red robes, gently on the shoulder. 

"Excuse me," asked Aeris politely, "which way is the Library? 

The man started, then peered at her closely with suspicion in his eyes. "It's that way." He finally answered, pointing down the street. "Take a left there, then go straight. You can't miss it." It was said with faint disdain and an obvious message: _You're a Cetra, and you can't even find your way about the Promised Land? Nothing better than expected for a halfing. _

Aeris thanked the man and set off in the direction he indicated, ignoring his subtle malevolence. She didn't want to be near him any longer than she had to. For some reason, when she had tapped his shoulder, she had felt a shiver of apprehension run up her body.   

_You're just being silly, Aeris, _she mentally chided herself, refusing to be intimidated by someone she didn't even know, and who hadn't done anything against her no less. Her smile returned and she enjoyed the feeling of the light summer breeze through her hair. Around her, the Cetra each moved to their own agendas, so used to the endless beauty they ignored it…took it for granted. Aeris sighed in frustration.

_Stop being so melancholy! Mother is just starting to be happy again, the least you could do is pretend you are too! _Aeris thought fiercely, even knowing it was a lie. She couldn't be happy, and couldn't rest, until she knew the truth. The entire truth, about the Bearers and the dreams and the Soul Prophecy. It gnawed at her mind, the sense of not-knowing, and caused her sleepless, question-wracked nights. 

Aeris stopped, realizing she had arrived at the Library. It was near the center of the City, and was a huge, elegant structure, with pillars forming a grand archway, and a border of strange markings carved on its face. The markings resembled the written language of the Cetra, but were still different, more elaborate, perhaps, and Aeris could not read them. She got such a strong feeling from it, as though it were a breathing, sentient being. The Library proudly shone gray, displaying its wealth of knowledge and seriousness, unlike the bright white and green of the City. It was its own little world, and that was only the outside of it.

Aeris stepped forwards and climbed the gleaming silver steps slowly, feeling like she was entering sacred ground. She had felt the same way at the Temple, and at the City of the Ancients…the human side of her shied away, knowing that she should not be here, but her Cetra blood embraced it and hungered for more like this. 

_Stop it, stop it! _Aeris blew out her breath irritably. _Concentrate on what's at hand. I have to find old legends or accounts…anything that might help me fill in the blanks Father's explanation left. _The Library had no doors, just two enormous hanging drapes, and their color was so velvety red they reminded her of someone.

_Vincent. Those drapes are the color of Vincent's eyes. Poor Vincent. I saw him through the Lifestream, still mourning for Lucretia. I should have tried to help him, maybe I could have talked to him._ _It's too late now, I suppose…I can't help anyone now. The only person I can help is myself, and I can do that by discovering what Fate has planned for me._

With renewed purpose, she slid under the curtains. And stopped short. Aeris's green eyes were despairing as she stared up, up, up, at the shelves upon shelves that adorned the Library's halls. They stretched to the curved ceiling and down the halls further than her eyes could follow. Her hand slid over the smooth mahogany wood of the nearest shelf, and came up coated with dust. The books were worn and yellowed, and the grandeur in the Library was somewhat overshadowed by the air of neglect that hung over it like a cloud. Aeris was contemplating whether to pick up the first book and start looking, or just leave, when a gnarled hand clamped down on her shoulder. She shrieked and whirled around, pressing her back to the shelf in fear.

"Settle down there, missy, you're upsetting the books," the owner of the hand said in a voice as crackly as the withered paper in every manuscript there. It was an elderly Cetra, with strands of white hair still clinging desperately to his bald head. He wore thick glasses, and even while wearing them, squinted hard at her. He was tiny, about the same height as she, and was clothed in plain brown robes. "Now, who are you, little miss, and what're you doin' here?"

"O-oh…I'm sorry, sir, you startled me." Aeris stammered, feeling nervous. No one had really paid any attention to her during her time here, other than that first introduction in the Fields. Silence settled over them, and she realized he was squinting expectantly at her. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself…I'm Aeris Gainsborough. It's n-nice to meet you…" She extended her slim hand uncertainly. 

The old man removed his glasses, rubbed the lenses on his sleeve, and replaced them on his nose. He peered at her closely, then down at her hand; he grinned, causing his face to crease even more, and shook it with a surprisingly firm grip for such a frail-looking little man. He took another look at her. 

"Hmmm, wavy brown hair, eyes the color of the Lifestream…are you Ifalna and Gast's daughter?" The elderly Cetra asked. "You have to be. You've got Ifalna's exact coloring, and Gast's strong jaw, and intelligence, I'm sure." 

"Yes…" Aeris blushed bright red. "Thank you, sir…"

"Don't mention it, young lady," chortled the man, "now I must apologize, for I haven't even introduced myself to you. I'm Rari. Actually, that isn't my real name; I forgot my birth name many years ago." 

"So what does Rari stand for?" Aeris questioned politely. 

"It's short for Librarian, of course!" Rari seemed incredibly pleased, and his wrinkled face beamed with childlike happiness that belied great wisdom. "My name was changed to Librarian when I was appointed to this job many long years ago, just like my father before me, and his father before him. We're caretakers of the Library, and we always have been, and we always will." 

Searching the depths of his small brown eyes behind the thick lenses of his spectacles, Aeris saw something that eerily reminded her of herself. _He is chained to his destiny. He knew who he would become as soon as he was born. Just as I knew I would be the one to save the Planet. Though it looks as if he likes where his destiny has led him. _

Rari folded his worn hands in his billowing brown sleeves. "So, young miss Aeris, what are you looking for? What questions do you need answered?" 

She glanced at him in surprise. Rari chuckled. "Cetra don't just come wandering in here for fun, you know. I haven't had a proper visitor in ages! Out there," he waved in the general direction of the outside world, "they think they know everything, and don't believe in seeking knowledge from the past." 

Aeris bit her lower lip thoughtfully, letting Rari's words sink in. She couldn't argue with that. "You're right about that. And you're right, I am looking for answers, though the questions are rather…personal." 

Rari nodded, and to her relief, didn't press the matter. "The entire Library is at your service. And if you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask me."

"Thank you, Rari," said Aeris, and her warm smile made the little old chap cough in embarrassment. She stepped away, trailing her fingers over the dusty shelves, really having no idea where to start.

"The oldest volumes are in the back," suggested Rari, before serenely strolling away, his coarse robes trailing on the floor behind him. Aeris whispered her thanks and turned to face the seemingly endless corridors of books, and their faint ending practically miles away.

Rari watched Aeris set her shoulders in determination and march down to the end of the first bookshelf, and shook his head amusedly. _Resolute child, isn't she? She seems troubled by something, though. That's a shame, a pretty young thing like her should never have to be distressed. I hope she finds what she is looking for. _

Night had long since fallen in the Promised Land, a pristine summer's night with a warm breeze and a million stars glittering like raindrops in the sky. A peaceful hush had fallen over everything, and the all Cetra houses were dark as their inhibitors slept calmly, dreaming pleasant dreams. 

All except for one, of course.

In her little bedroom in Ifalna's house, Aeris sat, surrounded by piles upon piles of musty books. The only light emanated from a candle on the desk that sent shadows leaping and dancing on the walls, and bathed Aeris its a ruddy golden glow. She leaned over the fat volume currently opened on her lap, her fingers following the cramped and messy writing. The young woman's eyes were rimmed with red, and bore testament to her wearied state. Realizing that this book, just like all the others she had poured over, had nothing about the Soul Prophecy or the previous Bearers, Aeris slammed it shut. A cloud of dust rose up and blew into her face, causing her to cough and sneeze. 

Aeris gave a small, dry sob and leaned back in her chair. _What am I doing? This is hopeless. I must have a quarter of the Library here, and I haven't found anything that helps. These are all just a bunch of old fairy tales and diaries and historical accounts that don't go back half as far as I need. I haven't found any answers at all; in fact, I've just made more questions for myself. And some of these aren't even translated! _

She wiped her grimy hands on her old dress, and trained her eyes on the flickering flame of the candle. Aeris felt the burning sensation of tears in her eyes as misery sent in. _What did I hope to accomplish by doing this? I mean, Father studied this for years and he doesn't even know the whole story. It's thanks to him that I even know the old derivation of the written Cetra language, and I translated all of those books…not as if it helped._

Aeris looked around her room, which was beginning to resemble the Library. Ceiling-high stacks of books littered every available space: the desk, bed, bureau, and especially the floor. The musty, gray scent of the Library had taken residence in her walls as well, and when coupled with the mountains of books and guttering flame, gave an overall solemn, dreary feeling. 

_But I'm not asleep,_ Aeris reminded herself firmly, _and if I'm not asleep, the dreams can't come. _

She felt bad about lying to everyone and saying the dreams did not haunt her sleep anymore, but it really was for the best. The sleepwalking trances had passed, it seemed; Aeris no longer walked under the light of the moon to Sephiroth's Tree. Ifalna was relieved and overjoyed as the scrutiny of her daughter lessened. Everyone simply thought this meant the dreams had ended for good.

_If only,_ she sighed. True, she had stopped sleepwalking; but in exchange she was beset with even more vivid, confusing dreams. Dreams where faint voices called to her in ancient, foreign tongues and images flashed by faster than she could see and under everything there was a low pulsing presence that was the Planet reaching out to her. 

_Why can't I hear the Planet anymore? _A tear rolled down Aeris's cheek. _It was what kept me company when…when I was alive. The Planet always understood, even when people didn't. The Planet would know what to do._

It was strange, then, that suddenly Aeris felt very sleepy, as if she hadn't slept for days. Her eyelids drooped and she yawned, curling up slowly in her chair. Her hands folded next to her cheek, as they always did, as though in prayer, and her long brown curls tumbled over one shoulder. She smiled dreamily as she wandered into the land of sleep.

The candle's flickering flame snuffed out, yet there was no wind, and the room pitched into darkness. 

And from the darkness came a voice…   

TBC…   


	8. Chapter 7: Tell Me No Lies in the Twilig...

I probably should have warned everyone at the beginning, but this is intended to be a long story. An epic, if you will. ^_^ I'm shooting for maybe 20 chapters, of course, it may be longer or shorted depending on how I write. So you may have to wait a while before I get to the nice Aeris/Sephy bits. And a big thanks everyone who reviewed. Enjoy~~~~

Oh yeah…what does "out, damned spot" mean?? Two people have it in their reviews and I don't know what it is…**sweatdrop**. 

Chapter 7: Ne me Dites pas de Mensonges Dans le Crépuscule—Tell Me No Lies In the Twilight

The Watchers had gathered.

They sat in their circle of ten, around an orb of gold-tinted red that sat on a pedestal of white. Each wore a draping, hooded crimson robe that cast shadows over their faces, leaving only their lips and chins exposed. A frown was on each mouth. 

"Her connection with the Planet is far stronger than any I have ever seen," said one, with an old, reedy man's voice. The other Watchers murmured their agreement. 

"We are doing all we can to garble or halt the dreams the Planet sends her, and yet she still receives them." A soft, sweet woman's voice added. "It is most frustrating."

"The other responds well to us, though," smirked a third Watcher, "if her dreams are of him, his are only of flames and death." Several low chuckles accompanied his statement.

"Yet the female still poses a problem. We cannot reach her as we reach the male. Why? Bearers before them were easy enough to control." A Watcher questioned aloud. "True, she gets some of the visions we send, the ones meant to frighten her, but they are not enough."

There was silence for a moment, and the sphere on its pedestal glowed faintly, sending a wash of brassy scarlet over the Watchers; it gave the impression they were bathed in blood. Their eyes, if one could see them through the shadows, were riveted on the shining orb, seeing things in its depths only they could see.

"This is a mixed blessing," said the Watcher seated in the foremost chair, with a clipped, precise voice. "These Bearers are the strongest we have seen in millennia. True, this makes it hard to control and confuse them, but it also makes the reward at the end much better. With these Bearers, our dream that we have held through life and death will finally be achieved. And they will lead us to it as our eleventh and twelfth members."

The orb blazed golden radiance at that, and the Watchers lapsed into a chanting chorus of a twisted, arcane language long since forgotten. Mist exploded from the orb with a hiss, shooting upwards to the domed ceiling. The vapor twisted and curled in and upon itself until two figures were shaped, looking like two translucent gray specters. They stretched hands out to one another, and when their fingers met, there was faint trembling in the air and the earth. The head Watcher's eyes gleamed as he watched the figures meld into each other.   

"Sephiroth…Aeris…" whispered the same Watcher, so quietly that no other could hear. "So we will meet again. I do hope you'll remember me…"

The orb's light flamed a brilliant crimson; then, as though the flames were doused with water, it extinguished, plummeting the room into total darkness. Inside the sphere grew a speck of jade radiance. 

"The Planet!" gasped a Watcher. "It's attempting to connect with her!" 

"Well, then," smiled the head Watcher, "we'll just have to stop it, won't we?"   

When Aeris opened her eyes once more, she was in a cold, dark place. She couldn't see the floor, and couldn't feel it either. It was an extremely disconcerting sensation, as though she were floating aimlessly in midair. Against her will, she began to shiver.

"Hello?" called the young woman. "Is anyone there?"

Only her own voice came echoing back to her, weak and warped. That seemed to set off a chain reaction. The strange place suddenly lit up with an encompassing, pulsing green light as the distant sound of chimes rang over and over. Around her flowed wisps of emerald mist and bubbles of broken memories, whose surfaces shone with rainbow colors. She reached out to touch one with a hesitant finger; it popped and showered her with a vision from her living past. She watched as a version of herself stooped to water her flowers in the church, then paused and looked up. Memory-Aeris stumbled backwards as a blond-haired young man crashed through the roof and onto the carefully-tended garden; she knelt at his side and, with a murmured word, healed his wounds…

Tears sprang to her eyes at the remembrance, and she shied away from the bubbles, fearing what other memories lurked within them. Aeris curled up, bringing her legs up to her chest, and clutched at her heart with shaking hands. 

_This is just a dream, this is just a dream, this is just a dream…_she repeated over and over in her mind, reassuring herself that she was not going crazy, this was not real no matter how real it felt, and she definitely was not hearing a voice calling her…

_Wait. _Aeris realized. _I do hear voices! _

She strained her ears past the silver chimes and heard a far-away voice reaching out to her. It was painfully familiar, and she immediately caught on to its particular tone.

_Planet! It's the Planet! _Aeris thought joyously, her heart filling with warmth and happiness at its distinct presence in her mind. 

_~Aeris…daughter…~ _hummed the Planet lovingly. She nearly wept in elation at its response, at discovering that it was really there. 

"Planet, I've missed you…but where am I? What is this place?"       

She could almost hear the Planet chuckle. _~You are in-between the land of consciousness and the land of dreams. The Planet had to bring you here…it could not talk to you through dreams or while you were awake.~ _

Aeris watched as a tendril of green smoke caressed her arm, and was beset by questions as she realized they Planet could tell her what she needed to know. "Planet…do you know of the Soul Prophecy?"

_~Of course the Planet knows of this. The Planet foreordained it to happen, every millennia or so.~_

Aeris's heart skipped a beat, and she heard a slight ringing in her ears. A calming feeling cleansed her fears about the future, and her mind grew sluggish, and her fervor slowed and damped. She suddenly felt composed and at peace, as if all her questions would now be answered. The Planet's song thrummed through her body, tingling and making her feel more alive than she had been ever since entering the Promised Land.

_~Ask the Planet your questions, daughter, for time grows short.~_

The issue that had been haunting Aeris night and day, ever since Gast first revealed the Prophecy to her, sprang to the tip of her tongue. She had to know. "Planet…am I a Bearer?" The Planet hummed thoughtfully, then replied, _~Yes, Aeris, you are the female Bearer of this millennia. Things will be better for you if you learn to accept this fate. Through no choice of your own, you have become half of the most powerful force on the Planet, and you cannot deny it any longer…not if the Planet is to continue living.~_

Aeris's mind tried and failed to comprehend the somber, cryptic answer of the Planet. Somewhere deep inside her heart, however, she was aware that this indeed was the truth, that the Planet would never lie to her. 

"Then…then who is my other half?" whispered Aeris, fearing the answer. Her eyes were shut, hoping perhaps to lessen the blow.

The Planet's voice was amused. _~Child, do not waste the Planet's time asking questions to which you already know the answers. You are the female Bearer, and Sephiroth is the male Bearer, as the human Gast told you.~_

The news stung, of course, but unfortunately couldn't be called a surprise. Pain throbbed dully through her veins. "But…" She choked with a feeble voice.

_~There can be no doubt,~ _said the Planet firmly, _~you and Sephiroth are the Bearers. The Planet chose you above all others to be the guardians of all that is good. From this destiny you cannot escape, and upon you depends the fate of the Planet.~_

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Aeris was bowled over with a sense of complete and utter hopelessness. Dark depression overwhelmed her, and for a moment the song of the Planet was lost under the weight of her burden. It returned in full force, singing of warmth, love, and tenderness; its melody of light banished the shadows lurking within Aeris. 

_~Do not despair…~ _soothed the Planet. _~All will be well. But, dear daughter, you must listen carefully to the Planet. A danger has awoken once more, something the Planet thought had faded long ago.~ _

"Danger?" echoed Aeris, blanching visibly. "What sort of danger?"

There was silence in her mind for a while, as the Planet generated a response. _~A danger unlike any you have encountered before. They are called the Watchers. They are a group of ten members, and they once were Cetra.~_

Aeris's eyes widened as she quickly realized the implications of the remark. "That means they're in the Promised Land too!" 

_~Correct. The Watchers think that the Cetra are the true inheritors of the Planet, and should rule it with humans as their subjects. No one else believes in the Watchers; the little known about them is thought to be a myth, along with Bearers and the entire Soul Prophecy. So they operate in silence and secrecy, and true to their names, watch the Bearers. They were intended to be the protectors of the Bearers, able to see danger before it came, and yet, the power instilled in them somehow went wrong. Perhaps it filled them with self-importance, or perhaps it was some lingering effect of Jenova upon their minds, but the Watchers do not protect the Bearers anymore. They…hunted down every pair, and corrupted them. ~_

"Wait, I'm confused," breathed Aeris under the barrage of information. It was too much to absorb at once, and she struggled to shake off her mind's lethargy, which now felt strangely oppressive. Suddenly, the in-between place holding Aeris shuddered, as though it had been hit by something, and tiny, hairline cracks appears in the walls. The green light flickered and struggled to retain its glow.  

_~There is no time to explain, child! The Watchers are here!~ _The strain and almost-frenzied tone in the Planet's voice frightened Aeris. _~The Planet cannot tell you everything now, and may not be able to bring you here again. Listen to what you must do. Somewhere in the Library there is a scroll; this scroll will lead you to a book. In the book are all the answers you need. You must find this scroll, Aeris, before the Watchers do!~_

"Wait! What scroll? I need a hint!" She shouted, feeling desperate and scared. "Please, Planet, don't leave me!"

_~It leads to where your mind is enlightened, and is in plain view yet hidden.~ _The Planet's voice was very faint. _Sharp silver is needed to free it from the red, flametongues to free its pages, and liquid life to free the words…~   _

There was a terrible rending sound as the in-between realm ripped apart at the seams. Aeris screamed as the green was torn to shreds, and she was catapulted into a tunnel of darkness. The memory bubbles exploded around her, an endless barrage of her recollections. Aeris wept bitterly under the onslaught as she relived her entire life with brief flashes of light. The memories whirled by faster and faster until they became indistinguishable from one another. The Planet's comforting presence and placating voice had been ruthlessly cut off, and the void around Aeris gaped wider. 

"No more!" She begged to no one. "No more!"

"No more!" Aeris choked, bolting upright, and in the process falling off the chair and onto the ground in an ungainly heap. She looked around, disoriented, and raised a trembling hand to brush away her bangs. The green land between sleep and wakefulness was gone, leaving her in her room, surrounded by books and the faint light of approaching dawn. Shakily, Aeris got to her feet and wrapped her arms around herself, the air feeling cold against her. 

_The Planet told me…_She pinched her arm, trying to remember. _To find a scroll that will help me find a book, in which are the answers to my questions. _

Aeris sighed, acknowledging the hours of hard work and sleepless nights this task was going to require. She glanced about her room, and found her window open. Frowning, she closed it tightly, not daring to look past the Grove, knowing who lurked asleep down there. Aeris begin clearing off her bed of books, and stopped upon finding one left open. It was a particularly old text, one that she had had to translate from the old language of Cetra. Aeris, figuring she wouldn't be getting back to sleep soon anyway after a dream like that, flipped to the first page and began to read.

It was a compelling story; most likely a fairy tale, filled with intrigue and romance, and a strange feeling came over her as she read. She wanted to share it with someone, but who? Ifalna was still asleep, and Aeris would be uncomfortable reading to her such a tall tale. And she didn't want to bother Rari with such a silly thing. There was no one else Aeris could even consider sharing this with…except maybe…

_You must be crazy, _she scolded herself ruefully, _to think he would want to hear this…or could hear it. It's a pretty sound sleep he's in anyway. _

"But is it really crazy? I mean, the Planet said that…we are the Bearers, and that to protect it from those Watchers, whoever they are, we are going to have to work together. I don't know how or when, but it's my destiny. I have to get over my fear of him…and maybe then I can even forgive him for what he's done." Aeris felt immensely better after voicing her thoughts aloud, and gathered up the book. Quietly, she left Ifalna's house and made her way to the Grove. Dewdrops hung on the grass like tiny silver tears, catching the pre-dawn, dusky light. The atmosphere was hushed, and Aeris moved slowly, her bare feet causing the flowers to bob their petaled heads as if in respect to her. The Tree loomed before here, looking in this light to be welcoming and almost friendly. Reverently, Aeris stopped and knelt before the slumbering Sephiroth, keeping her eyes downcast. She felt rather awkward now, silly; like a foolish little girl with her head in the clouds. The overwhelming fear she had been hit with upon seeing Sephiroth had faded. 

"Hello," said Aeris, breaking the silence. "I…know you can't hear me, but somehow I feel that you're the only one who can understand. I guess that's because we share the same soul. Sephiroth…I hope that one day you'll be free of all your prisons, those both mental and physical. Maybe one day we will be able to understand one another." Looking embarrassed, Aeris cleared her throat. "I thought that maybe you'd like to hear this story. It's interesting, from what I've read so far, and I need someone to share it with me." There was no response from Sephiroth, save the slight flowing of his long, silver hair, but then again, she hadn't been expecting one. 

Aeris started, her voice at first thin and nervous; gradually smoothing out into her normal rich tone. 

"Many long years ago, in a land where magic was part of one's blood, and where animals spoke the tongue of man, there were two families. These families had been embroiled in a bitter war for as long as both sides could remember. They hated each other with an undying passion, and would continue to do so until their lines completely eradicated each other. Their abhorrence of one another fueled many a bloodbath in the fair streets of Lapidoth, where they lived, and they swore the fight would never end. Everything reached its peak because of the daughter of one family, named Celesta, and what occurred on her twenty-second birthday… "

The stars, almost completely faded in the dawn sky, looked very far away, and Sephiroth's stern expression seemed to soften. 

The book told of the kind Celesta and her constant encounters with a man named Arell. Arell saved her from kidnappers, as well as gave her a rose every night. They fell in love, and it was then that Celesta discovered Arell was the son of her family's great enemy. They decided to run away together, but their families found out and Celesta was killed in the resulting battle. Arell was captured and killed by Celesta's family in revenge. The two families, now furious, completely wiped out each other in a great final battle, while Celesta and Arell watched, weeping, from Heaven. 

Aeris, shaken by the tragic ending for the two lovers, was not surprised to find her face wet with tears as she closed the book. She wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her dress, and felt the strange tingling sensation in her limbs again. The hairs on her back of her neck stood up, and there was an uneasy silence around her. Someone was spying on her. All the things the Planet had said about the sinister Watchers came rushing back to Aeris, and slowly her face upturned.  

She watched Sephiroth as if in a dream. His head turned to the side, and he groaned a little in his sleep. His eyes twitched, like he was trying to awaken. His lips parted, and still sleeping he whispered, "Read…more…", before slipping back into his troubled unconsciousness.  

Aeris sat completely still for a full minute, her green eyes wide, waiting. Sephiroth didn't speak again. Aeris silently took her book and returned home, breaking into a run. She re-entered the Grove a short while later, her arms full of books, and settled herself down on the grass a bit closer to Sephiroth.

Clearing her throat, she opened the first book, and began to read aloud once more.         

         


	9. Chapter 8: To Shiver in the Light and Li...

No, I'm not dead. This chapter was giving me trouble, for some inexplicable reason. It turned out to be a bit longer than usual, but you guys probably won't mind. *g* Thanks to all who reviewed. ^_^ It means a lot to me! Enjoy~~~ 

Chapter 8: Frissonner dans le Lumiere et Element—To Shiver in the Light and Lifeblood  

Her voice, Sephiroth decided with detachment, was heavenly. It hadn't taken him long to reach this conclusion, but it was one that he felt was particularly disturbing. After all, as his nightmares had been quick to remind him, he had killed this girl; in fairness, he should not even be allowed near her purity. Yet…here he was, with her. 

Sephiroth had been in the grips of another distorted, torturous dream, weeping tears of blood, when he first heard the echoes of her voice. It was faint, but it was a welcome, melodious change from the usual screams and accusations hurled at him. His chains had chafed him a bit as he shifted, head turning as he searched for the source of the voice. Far, far upwards, past the eternally-burning flames' highest flickers and surrounded by a pale green light, Sephiroth saw a vision of her. Her long chestnut hair, bound back in a loose ponytail, fell about her pale face as she read aloud to him from a book. As Sephiroth focused on her, he realized that the pain around him became a little less intense, the flames a little less searing. And if he really concentrated, he found that he could make out the words.

"And Celesta begged Arell not to leave her, tears streaming down her cheeks as blood poured from her wound. Arell could not speak for his heart breaking, even as Celesta whispered, 'I love you' with her last breath and fell limp in his arms…"

She drowned out the other noises, and the other sights as well, with her sad tale of loss. But it was a different kind of loss than the faceless wraiths that encircled him; this was for love, and the theme of love ran through the whole story. While he himself could not relate, at least it was a diversion from his tortures. It wasn't the story that he struggled to absorb; it was more the sweet tone of her voice and her appearance, a break in his well-earned suffering.

If only for a moment, Aeris could take his mind off his seemingly-eternal torment. The nightmare Aeris, the one with the gaping hole in her chest, seemed to fade away and the real Aeris took her place, reading quietly. Despair welled up in Sephiroth as she finished the book, and he fought desperately to stave off the new wave of memories he could feel lurking over in the shadows. Her voice! As much as it hurt him to see another casualty of his cruelty, he needed her voice. It was the only thing keeping the nightmares at bay…and more than that, it was giving him strength.

The bitingly cold chains fell slack for a second, enough for Sephiroth to shout with all of his might, "Keep reading!" Then his shackles tightened again, so constricting around his ankles and wrists that the skin split and bled. He kept his unnaturally bright green eyes trained on the faint vision of her. Aeris seemed to grow pale and stunned, but soon he saw her disappear and then reappear, her arms filled with books. Sephiroth actually relaxed against his bonds. He exhaled in relief, and thanked the gods who had forsaken him for allowing an angel to grace him, however momentarily.     

Aeris read until her throat was hoarse and her eyes teared and blurred from staring at the cryptic texts. She didn't know why she felt so driven to keep going; a strange feeling surfaced in her heart, telling her that this was important. She finished reading the five or so books she had grabbed from her room, and shut the last one with a quiet clap. With weary eyes, she looked up at the sky. The few fluffy clouds were tinged in light oranges and pinks as the sun's gentle slope peeked over the hills. Sunlight poured into the Grove and chased away the night's shadows. The warm golden glow softened everything, even the harsh set of Sephiroth's face; he looked younger, more peaceful, with his silver hair tinted flaxen. She forced her eyes away, instead focusing on her lap. 

_There is probably no significance to this at all, _she decided, _but it did feel right to me, to read to him…and it seemed like he felt the same. After all, he did tell me to read more. And we are both Bearers…but what I don't understand is what I'm supposed to do about it! The Planet said the Watchers represent a great danger, but the Planet didn't tell me its will. And Sephiroth won't be a help, number one because he's in a supposedly-eternal sleep, and number two because he probably wouldn't even WANT to help me! He killed me before, and even though his madness was cured by Holy and the Lifestream, I don't think he'd be any fonder of me now. In fact, he probably hates me. I'm one of his captors. _

Feeling oddly depressed by that line of thought, Aeris lay down on the grass and resolved not to think about Sephiroth anymore. Physically and mentally exhausted, she leaned back on her elbows and stretched her legs out in front of her, wincing as the stiff muscles creaked. Her mind drifted as her blood flowed through her veins, warming her sleepy feet and hands. 

And faintly, she heard the echo of the Planet's call, as it had been before the Watches silenced it. 

_~It leads to where your mind is enlightened, and is in plain view yet hidden.~ _The Planet's voice in her mind was feeble and reedy, and Aeris swallowed hard. ~_Sharp silver is needed to free it from the red, flametounges to free the pages, and liquid life to free the words…~_

"What does that mean?" She whispered aloud. "I don't understand. It just doesn't make any sense…" Frustration welled up in Aeris's chest, a result of her exhaustion and aches.

_Calm down. Take deep breaths, and don't get upset. Just…think about it. Think about what it could possibly mean. This is important…the Planet would know. Think…think…_ Aeris's face scrunched up in concentration. Her fingers curled around the aged leather cover of the book in her lap, stroking the worn hide as she mused over the strange phrase. The rational part of her mind raced around thousands of possibilities, casting away some and considering others, while the illogical side completely drifted, thinking very separate thoughts. 

It was by pure luck that she managed to catch one of these stray thoughts, her fingers halting in their dance across the book. 

She quickly went over it again in her head. _I've got to return these books to the Library._

"It leads to where your mind is enlightened…" Aeris said, her voice hushed. A grin spread over her lips. "I think I know that part now…it's obvious! The Library! You read books to enlighten yourself!" She congratulated herself on figuring out that first bit of the riddle, and even sent a benevolent smile towards the slumbering Sephiroth, although she knew he could not see it.

In a substantially better mood, Aeris gathered all her books and stood up. She undid her loose ponytail and ran a hand through the tangles of her mussed hair. On a low branch of Sephiroth's tree, amidst the elegantly drooping leaves, a little golden bird landed and warbled its song. Then, to Aeris's delight and amazement, the bird hopped down and landed on Sephiroth's shoulder. Its eyes were large, black, and innocently inquisitive as it tentatively pecked at a strand of silver hair. 

Aeris giggled. "Little bird, that's not food! And you're lucky that Sephiroth isn't awake, or you would be in serious danger right now." The bird cheeped and cocked its head at her, as though reminding her that if Sephiroth were awake, _she _would be in danger as well, perhaps the most of all. Puffing up its sunlight-colored feathers, the bird settled down to rest on the great General's shoulder. Aeris regarded the picture, and smiled; this was something she'd never thought she'd see. As she left the Grove and headed towards the Library, Aeris realized why. 

Animals were instinctively more intuitive than humans. For reasons unknown to her, animals were very good judges of character. They could perceive, on a deeper level than people, the moral fiber of what made someone who they were. And for as long as Aeris could remember, she had never, ever, seen an animal willingly approach Sephiroth. Of course, she wouldn't have either, if she could have helped the few times she had come in contact with him while living; for Aeris, too, could see into a person's soul. In that sense, she was a creature of nature, like the birds and animals that still roamed the corners of the Planet. 

What Aeris had first felt coming from Sephiroth had been what was on the surface: self-assurance, intelligence, authority. But within several seconds, she had seen through his shallowness to his hidden depths, and was sure no one could really fathom what she had seen in Sephiroth. He was different, and he knew it; used and experimented on for most of his life, he finally focused on not how to join the human race…but how to beat it. 

Basically, he was lonely.

Even Aeris, a girl incredibly attuned to human character, couldn't be sure that what she had spotted in Sephiroth's eyes was lonesomeness. She had only seen it once, after all. The next time she searched the silver-haired man's soul…well, to put it gently, she couldn't find it. Jenova had completely poisoned his mind, and wrought his once- honorable mettle to her liking. It still drove shivers down her spine to recall his empty, malevolent gaze, and to absorb the feeling of madness from him.

Aeris sighed, and shifted the books in her arms a bit to ease the pressure on her wrists. Unbidden, a gentle thought presented itself. _What do you feel from Sephiroth now? _

She unconsciously bit her full lower lip, a nervous habit that made her look very cute, and wondered. _What do I feel from him? I hadn't even noticed anything amiss…I suppose because there hasn't been anything! It sounds strange, but there's no negative emotions radiating from him at all. _

A tiny spark of hope sprang up in Aeris's breast at that; maybe he _had _been changed for the better. Uncharacteristically ruthless, she quashed it, and resolved to not think about it any longer. The only thing it resulted in was a jumble of confusing thoughts and a headache. 

She reached the Library, and skipped up the steps. Her feet, enclosed in brown, soft-soled slippers, made a light skiffing noise on the marble. Sliding open the dark red velvet of the drapes, Aeris moved inside. The interior of the great building was just as she remembered it, the comforting scent of old books and dust hanging in the air. Aeris hugged the books to her chest, and beamed about at the aged surroundings. It was dark inside, the only light coming from down the corridor, from the beautiful stained glass windows. The only sound was the scribbling of a quill on paper. Aeris turned to see Rari, the little old Librarian, hunched over his desk, writing frantically. Mounds of open volumes surrounded his small form.  

"Hello, Rari." Aeris smiled. "My, you look busy today." 

Rari sent a distracted grin her way. "Yes, little miss, something quite important had come up." 

"Oh." Aeris blinked, her large green eyes expressing her confusion. "Well, I've come to return these books I took out." Rari suddenly placed his quill down on the desk and stared at her intently, his black eyes bright through his thick glasses. The weak light gleaned off the lenses, giving him an air of something more than just an innocent question.  

"Did you find the information you needed?" He asked, his spindly hands clenched together, almost…pleading. A faint buzzing keened in the back of Aeris's mind, and she felt her heart speed up. When she was alive, she would have known that this was the Planet's way of telling her something was wrong, and that she should tread carefully. But now…that couldn't be it. The Planet had been blocked from her, and besides, what was there to fear here, in the majestic Library with its elderly keeper?  

"No," answered Aeris cautiously, struggling to banish her traitorous thoughts. "Mainly just a mess of children's tales and half-finished personal accounts. Nothing important." Rari didn't need to know about her dream-meeting with the Planet.  

"Of course not," sighed Rari, taking up his quill again and turning a page in the nearest book. "Of course not." Aeris questioned where to place her books, and Rari waved her away to a wooden cart near the stained glass windows. She gently stacked her returned books in a neat pile on the cart, and clasped her hands behind her back. Her mind wandered back to the next part of the riddle.

_The Planet said it was in plain view, yet hidden. _Aeris remembered. _That means the scroll is someplace I can see. Well, that could be anywhere in here, so that's not going to help me! The next part said sharp silver is needed to free it from the red. Sheesh, how cryptic can the Planet get? _

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and Aeris felt her muscles stiffen up. _What…what is this? I feel cold of all a sudden._ She lowered her eyelids halfway, and carefully peeked up from under her thick lashes. From the very corner of her eyes, she could see Rari staring hard to her back, his glasses pushed down to his nose. Her stomach gave a strange lurch, and for a brief moment, she felt her mind blank out completely. Rari's stare grew even more intense, his black eyes very narrow. Aeris internally panicked, as she watched her vision slowly fade away, but instead of darkness, there was an all-encompassing veil of red shot through with gold.  

A loud series of thumps caused both of them to jump. Aeris, shaking her head, knelt to pick up the books that had fallen and broken her out of her seeming-trance. Rari blinked and returned to his researching, but a small smile had worked its way onto his mouth, and it seemed too calculating a grin to be on such a kind little man. 

Not wanting to disturb him further, Aeris wandered to the far reaches of the Library, where the faint light did not reach. She looked around at the books squeezed on their shelves, with an inch of more of dust covering them, and knew that no one had been here in many, many years. After a bit of rummaging, she found an uneven length of candle and several dry matches lying atop a small corner table. She lit the clipped wick, which spluttered fitfully and then settled itself into a small orange flame. She gripped the bottom of it, with care as not to drip wax on her fingers. 

Aeris poked about interestedly, leaning over to read a book's title aloud, or just to wipe away a low-hanging cobweb. It was cool and mildewy back here, in the Library's forgotten archives, and Aeris lost herself in the pursuit of enlightenment. She must have read through a dozen books before one particular novel caught her eye; its spine was a dull scarlet, but she could tell it had once been vivid and luxurious.  

She slid the book from its spot on a high shelf and sat down, legs crossed, to flip through it. Aeris's fingers traced the faded gold-foil letters on the front cover, which read 'The Account of Lyra Jorrian on the Constructing and Organizing of the Great Library of the Promised Land' in a very flowery, expressive script. 

_Now that's a mouthful_, Aeris giggled mentally. _But still, this must be a very old book to have been around before the Library was!_

She opened up to the first page, and was met with what appeared to be sketches of the Library. 

_They don't do it justice_, decided the young woman, and turned the page. There were the Library's preliminary and final blueprints, lists of the materials used in its construction, names of the Cetra involved, and other such interesting but not useful information. 

Aeris then came to a page where Lyra Jorrian wrote about the Library's furnishings. Aeris read aloud quietly to herself, getting the feeling that something in the passage was important. 

"'It had previously been confirmed that both the inner and outer base of the Great Library would be made of white marble, so all of our furnishing decisions were based around that fact. There would be windows of stained glass, desks, chairs, bookshelves (naturally!), curtains, and whatnot; however, the color scheme had yet to be chosen. The honor of picking colors was bestowed upon me, as Second Taskmaster! After careful consideration, I opted to make the wooden items from dark cherrywood lumber, handpicked and cleaned by our assistants. The stained glass windows will depict legendary scenes from Cetra history when they are complete, which should be in several days. Their colors are being picked out by the glass workers, who know better than I what to use. The trim and embellishments on the ceiling are gold-leaf, not too gaudy of course, and there are several landscape paintings hung at strategic locations on the walls. Yet I must confess, my favorite little extra was the one I designed: the long curtains for the front entrance. I do hate to sound full of my work, but they are gorgeous. They stretch from floor to ceiling, and are made from the finest red velvet. It is like touching crushed rose petals. The brilliant crimson color is so rich, so vivid, so eye-catching, that the others have taken to simply calling it 'the Red'." 

It was as if a bell went off in Aeris's head. She quickly reread the last sentence, and a grin spread over her face as realization struck. _"The red" from the poem is just the front curtains! They're in plain view, yet hidden! I've been over-analyzing everything…I have to take it all literally! I should have known the Planet's message would be so obvious it'd be obscure!_  

Aeris snapped the book shut and replaced it on the shelf. She blew out the candle gripped in her hand and slipped it into her pocket, along with the matches. She scrambled from the shadows, unable to contain her giddiness. Her mind was already leaping ahead of itself, and she was drawn into excitement as she pieced out the riddle. 

_"Sharp silver"…what is something sharp and silver? A knife, or a sword, of course! _Aeris frowned as an incessant thought needled her mind. 

Her forehead crinkled. Wait…I remember. Sharp Silver was the nickname for…for… 

Aeris's eyes widened as the terrible truth dawned on her, and the spot just underneath her ribs ached hollowly in memory.

_…the Masamune…._               

Hunched over his desk, Rari smiled. 


	10. Chapter 9: I Am Not Afraid of You

Wow…80+ reviews! Thanks everyone! That's what motivated me to get off my lazy bum and finally finish this chapter. You all get Chibi-Sephy plushies and Twizzler Pull-N-Peels as a reward! **throws plushies and Twizzlers at her reviewers** ^_^ Enjoy~~~~~

Chapter 9: Je N'ai Pas Peur de Vous—I Am Not Afraid of You  

In the room of darkness the red divining orb pulsed light, and a thumping sound like a heartbeat accompanied it. Seated around it in a circle, in cloaks of crimson trimmed with gold, were the Watchers. They talked in low, conspiratorial voices. 

"So, the little Bearer is looking for a scroll, hmmm? Interesting." The leader of the Watchers, seated closest to the orb, turned to the woman seated to his right. "Could you take a peek into her mind, and perhaps derive the scroll's location?"

"I already tried, Nix," she said with her throaty voice. "And I can't see anything but shadows. Her mental shields are too strong."

The head Watcher, identified as Nix, frowned. "That…is displeasing news. Finding the scroll the Planet spoke of is of utmost importance, and our only way to discover its location is from the girl's own mind."  

"The half-Cetra is a mystery. She is quite…different than other Bearers, despite her mixed heritage," admitted another Watcher, eyes glinting strangely from the shadows of his hood, as though they were reflecting the light. "Or maybe because of it."  

"We know this," intoned Nix, sounding bored. He intertwined the fingers of his long, groping hands; a lock of dark hair able to be seen through the shadows of his hood. The other Watcher shook his head.

"We know she is different, yes…her strong connection to the Planet, and her tenacity in resisting our influence on her dreams…but did you know she will find the Masamune?" 

Eight Watchers bolted upright in their chairs, jerking their cowled heads towards the speaker. The head Watcher, his smirk visible, simply nodded.

"I have seen the future. She will find it through a dream of sorts." He said confidently. Another Watcher, seated furthest from the head of the circle, stood up and demanded, "I cannot believe this, Nix! How can she still be having these dreams? We have been trying to trip her up in every way we know how, yet she can still communicate with the other half soul?"  

Nix coolly stood and glided over to the fierce scarlet orb on its pedestal. He waved a delicate, pale-skinned hand over it twice, and his lips mumbled an incantation before commanding, "Watch…she should be finding it now."

From the bloody depths of the orb emerged Aeris, walking down the steps of the Library. 

_It leads to where your mind is enlightened, and is in plain view yet hidden. Sharp silver is needed to free it from the red, flametongues to free the pages, and liquid life to free the words. _The words had become like a mantra, so often had Aeris repeated them in her mind. When Aeris was nervous, or upset, or just plain bored, she would reiterate them mentally, once or twice even daring to speak them aloud. They made up a poem, a riddle, an adventure. They were comforting somehow, those last words the Planet had spoken to her in a very, very long time. They reminded her of the life she had left behind. 

And now, they were haunting her. _Sharp silver…_

Aeris trembled badly as she walked out of the Library. Twilight had fallen, and the Promised Land was painted over with a soft gray tint. Other Cetra milled around in doorstops, laughing and bidding each other good night as they ambled home from their days of work and shopping. Aeris, alone with her thoughts and her shadow, walked slowly down the cobbled road. She gnawed on her lower lip as her eyes strayed upwards to the dusky blue sky. Faintly, stars blinked their white radiance at her, and instead of finding it stunning or reassuring, those stars were ominous. 

Aeris shivered. _Silver…_the stars were sparkly gray luminescence, so reminiscent of that sword. _Sharp silver. _

How easily she could picture it in her mind: a long, elegant blade, ending in a slight curve and a vicious point, with a gleaming onyx-black pommel and hand guard, altogether taller than she was, and too heavy to hold except to the one man who wielded it. It was the Masamune, weapon of the General Sephiroth, and everyone who knew of him knew of the sword. It was legendary, beautiful, and stained with the blood of so many innocents Aeris blanched at the very thought of having to touch it.

"But I have to," she reminded herself aloud, her voice hitching against her will. Besides the obvious problem of not wanting to even look at the sword that had stolen her life, there was a larger obstacle in her way: she didn't know where it was. It couldn't have been destroyed or left on the Planet; she had no doubts about that. So then, it was somewhere in the Promised Land, which didn't really help her anyway. The Promised Land, as far as Aeris knew, was limitless, having no beginning and no end. She kept walking through the City, feeling alone even as others strode by her. 

_The Promised Land is not the greatest place to be looking for a sword, _she thought wryly. Not for the first time, she felt the cold little teeth of hopelessness and frustration gnawing on the edges of her mind. This whole…what was it, a quest? This whole quest was tied to failure. The Planet's explanation had been too hurried and confusing, not giving her nearly enough information to sate her needs. Aeris's mood soured, and with it so did the air around her.  

The dusk sky grew dark. Thick clouds rolled in quickly, obscuring the pinpricks of nickel that were the stars. Their swollen underbellies were black, and they roiled like angry beasts fighting one another. Twisting and winding around one another, the clouds formed a fat sea of shifting gray forms.  

Watching those eerie dull shapes, Aeris suddenly felt very, very tired. Her feet slowed, and soon she was standing completely still under the strangely darkened night sky.

Aeris found a disconcerting prickling feeling on the edges of her senses, and knew she was being watched. The Planet's warnings about the bizarre, corrupt Watchers still echoed in her memory. This was a different feeling, though; it wasn't uncomfortable, and suddenly Aeris exactly realized where she was: the edge of the Grove. Faintly, she heard strains of the moon-music, the ethereal melody that had enchanted her out of her bed during her first nights in the Promised Land, and she relaxed. Her mind pitched itself far, far away, leaving her in a hazy, comfortable, dreamlike state. She blinked languidly, and watched the silver moonlight as it filtered down through the Tree's lush leaves. 

The moonlight played across Sephiroth's face, making him look near ethereal, and pooled in front of him like stilled puddle of water. Aeris smiled dreamily at him, and, not entirely knowing what she was doing, moved slowly forward and knelt before him. She observed the slight rise and fall of his chest, the way the dappling of the moon's broken light accentuated his features, the twitching of his closed eyes as he was held in the grip of eternal nightmares. Aeris's heart ached with a tangible pain for this tortured, once-noble man, and she was filled with the desire to ease his mind and put his soul to rest. The rational, awake part of her mind rebuked her. _What are you thinking? You actually have pity for this man? He killed you in cold blood, as he killed hundreds of other people! He isn't deserving of pity; hate and fear and loathing, yes, but not pity! And especially not yours. _

Aeris shook her head, and watched as flower petals fluttered down from the nearby trees, tiny ghosts in the dark. They danced in the slight breeze and swirled around Sephiroth's still form. _Yet that's not entirely true…he went mad, by prodding from Jenova. I never understood why she chose Sephiroth for her vessel, I mean besides the obvious: he was strong. I think it must have been because she sensed…she sensed his mind was weak. _

Gast had told her bits and pieces of what he knew of the Jenova project and Sephiroth, but she didn't like to think about it before. It reminded her of Hojo, the Shin-Ra labs, and cold examination tables. Only now did she understand what it meant. Shin-Ra used Sephiroth like a simple tool; that was the very reason he was created. His life had been filled with misery and suffering, and through that Jenova gained power over him. Enough, even, to break his fragile grip on reality and become a puppet for her. _No one should have had to live like that. And when someone who has been mistreated as such goes over the edge…who can really blame him? _

Unnoticed, Sephiroth's hand twitched.  

Aeris came to the realization that she didn't fear him anymore…at least not when he was asleep and bound by the Lifestream like this. The Planet seemed to trust him now, and seemed quite all right with the fact that he and Aeris were Bearers. If he were still dangerous, surely the Planet would have told her so. After all, it had told her what would happen at the altar at the City of Ancients; the Planet never withheld information, ever.

Aeris listened as the final strains of the moon-music faded away into the night, and with it the relaxing dream-state. She was left feeling stronger, determined, and unafraid. Aeris stared at Sephiroth, wavering, then hesitantly reached over and held his gloved hands in her much smaller ones. She sensed—no, _knew_—that he needed to be told this, whether he could hear it or not.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," she said.    

A beam of glaringly bright silver radiance struck the ground beside her, shattering her dream-illusion completely and throwing up forceful winds that blasted her to the ground. Her hair whipping around her face, Aeris curled up against the side of Sephiroth's Tree for protection and watched in amazement as the light twisted and wrought itself into a long familiar silhouette.

When the winds died down and the light faded away, all that was left was the legendary Masamune, several inches of its blade imbedded in the ground so it stood straight up. Aeris's jaw dropped slightly. 

"What…what in the Planet?!" The young Cetra slid to her feet and carefully stepped to the still-glowing sword. "I don't believe it….the Masamune…" 

Her eyes slid from it to Sephiroth, then back to the quivering sword again. 

"Thank you, Sephiroth." Aeris smiled, her heart feeling lighter at getting closer to solving the Planet's message. Then she blinked and cocked her head at the 7-foot tall Masamune, with its heavy black pommel and thin but weighty blade. "There's just one problem," sighed Aeris to the slumbering man, her shoulders drooping.

"How am I going to carry this?"    

The scene faded from the sphere, and the Watchers muttered amongst themselves, voices low with amazement and apprehension.        

"Nix," said the female nervously, "what do we do? She has nearly everything she needs to solve the riddle and awaken Sephiroth! If she succeeds, there's a good chance these two Bearers will be out of our reach forever!" 

Nix's mouth curled into an insidious grin. "Don't worry. Let her awaken Sephiroth! She's saving us the trouble of doing it ourselves. And when she does accomplish this, for I have no doubt she will, we will simply take him from her."

"But with the strength of her half-soul, she could easily defeat even us!" crowed a previously silent Watcher. From the depths of Nix's hood, two black eyes flared briefly in anger. 

"Never. She may be a powerful Bearer, but she could never defeat me." _Not in life or in death. _"And remember, she still cannot utilize most of her half-soul's strength…she is too young and ignorant." 

The Watchers glanced amongst themselves, and concurred to Nix's dangerously soft words. After all, he had been intelligent in life…there was no reason for that to change in the Promised Land. 

"Soon," Nix whispered, "soon, Aeris. I'll have you again…" 

The Watchers looked to each other, and smiled. The orb on its pedestal pulsed red, tainting the image of Aeris with the Masamune with shades of blood.  

Aeris paused in her efforts to free the Masamune from the ground and shivered despite the warmth of the night. The fearful, ominous feeling that overswept her, like an icy-clawed grip on the nape of her neck, only reinstated the urgency of her mission. The fear was so familiar, so accepted to her, that it felt almost all right to experience its prickling adrenaline once more. That sickened her.    

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Aeris grew angry. Her entire body tensed like a wire stretched too thin for too long, ready to snap.   

Her bright green eyes flashed like embers in a fire. _I am tired of this! I'm tired of being afraid!_ _It isn't fair! Even in death, I'm being hunted! I shouldn't have to constantly worry and be looking over my shoulder, when I've become a Bearer for the Planet! No one should be so cruel as to do this to me, and this time I'm not going to let someone else ruin my life…because I'm strong, I know I am. The Planet has told me so over and over, and I…I think I feel it now too…deep inside me…the power the Planet said I have. _Slowly, a flaming green aura built up around her.Aeris felt strangely detached, her eyes glowing even more powerfully than before, as she watched her right hand lift up to curl around the handle of the Masamune. Her left waved in a controlled, dismissive, and precise action that she didn't recognize yet seemed familiar, like a distant childhood memory.

Somehow…this feels natural, almost second-nature. Is this my power? It's…hot and cold all at once, and I feel like I could do anything I wanted. My heart is pounding, my eyes can see everything no matter where it is, I can hear the whispering of life…I…I am a Bearer! 

Her right hand, trembling with power, effortlessly hefted the Masamune high into the air. Her left hand, outlined with the blazing green energy, repeated its gesture. Emerald twinkling lights fell from the heavens to rain about her, shielding her from view.

The orb of the Watchers exploded. The female screamed, and they all leapt from their seats. Even Nix looked stunned as bits of the red sphere began to litter the floor. Crimson-tinged powder dusted the pedestal and motes of it floated lazily on the air. 

"I-Impossible…" choked the smallest robed figure. "How…how could our Seeing Stone shatter?" The Watcher sounded severely spooked. 

Nix's black eyes sparked. "The girl. It must have been her." 

"But that means—"

"She's awakened." Nix's mouth drew itself into a flat, straight line. "Aeris is discovering what it means to be a Bearer." 

"She's growing too strong, too fast!" shouted a Watcher angrily. "Soon she'll be beyond our powers to control! we must strike now, or risk losing our best chance in millennia for a resurrection!" 

The other Watchers murmured their agreement, but watched Nix carefully for his reaction. The leader of the tainted Cetra was silent, calculating. Then he smiled and shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation.

"Well, if that's what the majority says…I suppose that's what we should do, eh? We don't want our little Aeris getting out of hand now. Everything will be much more in our favor, once she is brought under control."             

    


	11. Chapter 10: There’s No Smoke Without Fir...

A/N: Dedicated to Chocobo Goddess, who motivated me to stop doing my homework and finally finish this chapter. ^_^ Heh. That's a good thing. Really. Though I'm not too satisfied with this chapter myself…I don't like it. Next chapter will be better, I promise (that's where some AeriSeph finally comes in!). But… ::shrugs::. I hope you'll enjoy this anyway!!

Chapter 10: Il n'ya pas de Fumee sans Feu –There's No Smoke Without Fire

For once, Aeris was thankful for the deep, encompassing darkness that was night in the Promised Land. Before, it had haunted her, frightened her, even caused her to see things—_like Sephiroth's eyes opened_—but now, it was a blessing. Cloaked in shadows, Aeris made her way to the Library unhindered. The Masamune gleamed long and sharp, lightly clasped in her right hand as though it weighed less than a feather. She felt power coursing along her veins, and it gave her a heady, intense pride in herself. If the need arose, she could defend herself.

But the Great City of the Promised Land was desolate; all normal Cetra were probably home, safe and sleeping in their beds, while she walked the streets at night, glowing green and carrying a giant sword. Aeris couldn't help it, and giggled a little at the image before allowing the silence to envelop her. The Library came into sight, curled up like a sprawling, content cat. She breathed a sigh of relief, and let her guard slip down a little. The green glow surrounding her dimmed and faded, but she had the knowledge of it tucked away safely and knew she could summon it again if she had to. 

Aeris felt a strange tug at her hand, and jumped. She stared down at where she had felt the pull, and saw only the Masamune. Almost against her will, she inspected it closely, realizing she had never truly looked at the weapon that had killed her. The smooth black handle was nearly as long as her forearm, and the handguard tapered back to curl neatly, protectively, over her fingers. The actual blade was extended, perhaps 7 feet long, and had been hammered very thin. A slight curve emerged near the deadly point, so that while the Masamune appeared perfectly straight, it wasn't. The blade shone fiercely, like a fallen star, and Aeris wondered what the metal could possibly be made of. It was impossibly strong, but very light and thin, and at times it was even flexible. And instead of reflecting the light from the stars and streetlamps, it seemed to be generating its own. As she placed her foot on the first step of the Library's steps, the sword quivered and drew itself up of its own accord, pulling her hand along with it, to point at the entry hall. Aeris sweatdropped nervously, but grinned as she saw it was indicating the dark, blood red curtains hanging at the entrance. Then she blinked, and brought the bottom, flat part of the handle up to her eye level. Etched deeply into the black pommel was a very curved, distinct symbol, and it gave Aeris's memory a strange jolt. It looked so familiar, and so unrecognizable at the same time; for a moment she wondered if she was simply seeing meaning where there was none. But then, under the large symbol, there was a series of smaller ones, and these she understood right away. It read, "My Final Work" in the intricate and age-old language of the Cetra. Aeris's eyes widened in disbelief.  

_No wonder Sephiroth took such pride in this sword_, Aeris thought. _It's a work of art, and a Cetra work of art at that!_

The Masamune gave an almost-impatient throb in her hand, indicating the aptly named "Red" drapes. 

"You seem to be more sure of what to do than I am," she told the blade. "So you show me where to cut the Red, to free the scroll the Planet spoke of." She kept very still. Masamune was motionless for a second, then slowly turned to the right. Aeris followed its point until it trembled and stood straight up. 

"No…you can't mean that it's…" Aeris craned her neck to peer where the Masamune was aiming, where the heavy curtains met the ceiling. If she strained her eyes to their limits, she could make out a slight, unnatural bulge in the shadowy corner. It was at least twenty feet above her head, and there weren't any ladders in sight. 

"Well? Since you're so smart, what do I do now?" She asked the sword, with a hint of sarcasm. The Masamune's beautiful silver glow diminished, and plunged her into almost total darkness; Aeris realized that, as ridiculous as it sounded, she had insulted the sword.

"I'm sorry," she amended softly, "please, if you could, show me how to either get up there or get it down here." The sword lit up obligingly, and cast its light to the right pillar support. Aeris strode over to it, and could distinguish a set of roughly-hewn niches carved into the stone. 

"I'm supposed to climb," realized Aeris, and the Masmune trembled in what seemed like affirmation. Swallowing nervously, Aeris tightened her grip on the sword. She felt very small and weak all of a sudden, as though all of her newly-found Bearer power had left her. Masamune dragged her arm down, the muscles protesting mightily.

_No! NO! _She forced herself to remember that strength, how good it felt to not be afraid. She felt, rather than saw, the green aura seep through her skin to embrace her. Braver now, Aeris mounted the first little hold and began hefting her body up. The jagged stone dug into her fingers, skinning them raw as she continued up. It was slow going one-handed, and even with her power glowing around her, Aeris found it tiring. She clenched her teeth and ignored the burning in her arms and legs. She was halfway up when, accidentally, she peeked down. A wave of nausea hit her, and she squeezed her eyes shut unhappily. The ground looked so far away! 

The light from Masamune brought her back to reality, back to now, and was almost comforting as it warmed her face. _Keep going_, it seemed to urge. Heartened, Aeris resumed her climb. She concentrated on the worn rock in front of her, looking neither up nor down. Though it felt like an eternity to the girl, Aeris made it to the top rather quickly. She pinpointed the bump in the fabric; now it was about a foot above her head, and to the left. Aeris, wobbling, clung to the pillar with her right hand while her left reached up towards the bulge. Sweating with nervousness and exertion, Aeris strained as she lifted the Masamune and aimed its deadly point towards the fabric. A thousand thoughts pulsed through her mind _don'tworrybecarefuldon'tlookdowndon'tslipholdonalmostthere! _as she steadied her arm and carefully, agonizingly, slit the Red. Her incision was directly beneath the swell in the cloth, and she could faintly make out the curled, brown edge of a paper. Aeris struggled to switch Masamune to her other hand without losing her grip on the pillar; with no small amount of exertion she succeeded. Then she reached for the curtain, as close as she could to the cut, and tugged as hard as she could. A bit more of the paper slid out, but not enough for her to grab.

"Come on, come on…!" groaned the girl, wiggling the Red from side to side, feeling herself get more and more tired. "Come ON!" Exasperated, Aeris yanked downward fiercely. There was a horrible ripping sound, and the red velvet drapes tore from their holdings on the ceiling. Aeris, her hand still wrapped in the Red, was off balance as they started falling to the floor, and her footing slipped. 

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Aeris screamed and the curtains dragged her down with them. She clung desperately to them, as if that could somehow save her; the sense of falling gave her nausea in the pit of her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see herself impact with the cold hard ground. The Red, however, did not rip from all of its support, and the result ending up being Aeris swinging back and forth, several inches above the floor. In her fear, she had dropped the Masamune, and it clanged shrilly on the floor behind and below her. 

Aeris released the breath she'd been holding and jumped to the ground. "I'm sorry," the girl apologized, "I thought I was gonna go 'splat'." The sword's glow wavered, and she got the distinct impression that it was laughing at her. 

"Well, it's all good and fine for _you _to laugh; you don't get hurt when _you _fall, but I'm only human…er, Cetra…whatever." Aeris shook her head, then remembered the whole reason she snuck here in the first place, and scrambled over to where she spotted the hint of paper. When she stood on her toes, she could just reach it. Aeris grasped the scroll and pulled it out of its hiding spot. A wave of indescribable triumph washed over her, and her heart felt as if it might burst with relief and pride as she clutched it close to her heart. This would give her concrete answers, answers that would end her doubts and worries. Reverently, Aeris unfurled the paper and gazed over its browned surface. 

The parchment was dry and crackly under her fingertips, as if it would crumble into dust at any moment. The hand that had written on it must have been old and feeble; the writing was scratchy, wobbling, and almost indecipherable. It looked to be a map. She could make out landmarks that had remained the same over time: the Library, for one, but there were other drawings of places she didn't recognize, that hadn't withstood the test of time. Normally, Aeris wouldn't stay in the deserted, shadowy Library any longer, but there was _something _about the paper, something alluring and mysterious, that she had to figure out here and now. Just touching the map that another Cetra had poured over centuries ago made her feel empowered, as if some spiritual residue had been left behind and was now seeping into herself.

Aeris picked up the Masamune and settled herself on the Library's steps, a strange picture should anyone chance to look upon it: a petite young woman, a giagantic sword laid across her lap, studying a scroll alone in the moonlight. There was writing, brief instructions of some kind inscribed along the top; the language it was in was the old deviant of the Cetra tongue, and she would need some time to properly translate it. Eagerly, she set to work.

Aeris's mouth moved silently as she struggled to pronounce a few difficult words. After several minutes, she had translated the first line, and leaned back to look at it, marveling at the simplicity of it, unlike the complicated messages of the Planet. 

"First, go from the great Library and walk down the south street. Do not let anyone follow you. Stop at the rock half-buried at the corner." Shrugging, Aeris did as the map instructed; the light of the moon and Masamune lit her way so she did not stumble. She followed the straight, unchanging south street, named Summerset Way, down to the rock described on the map. It was still there, though she had never noticed it before: a massive boulder buried halfway in the dirt, coming up to about waist length on her, eroded and covered with moss.

"Okay, that was easy enough…" She mumbled to herself, and moved on to translate the next line. This one was deciphered quicker than the last, and soon Aeris was rather adept at translating the written language, or at least the words that appeared over and over. The young woman triumphantly read the final line of the directions aloud, the sentences not registering in her mind until they had left her lips. 

"Dig beneath the west side of the Great Tree in the Grove. The Book of the Bearers will be there." 

_Hmm. The west side. That would be…_Aeris gulped, and looked at it again. Of course. Of course the book that held all the answers she needed would be buried beneath, or at least right next to, Sephiroth! 

_Well, the Planet never said this would be easy_, she reminded herself stoutly. Aeris carefully rolled the scroll into a tight coil and placed it in the pocket of her white dress. The Grove, still and silver in the night, lay just ahead.

"It leads to where your mind is enlightened, and is in plain view yet hidden. Sharp silver is needed to free it from the red, flametounges to free the pages, and liquid life to free the words." She whispered to herself, the Planet's message springing unbidden to her lips. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she grasped that she had only completed the first issued command. The flametounges and liquid life hadn't had anything to do with the scroll, which had no pages and only a sprinkling of words; obviously, those riddles pertained to the book. 

_Great_, thought Aeris. _More questions for me, when I've a desperate need for answers._ She nervously adjusted her grip on the Masamune, feeling a chill run up her spine as she moved slowly forward into the Grove. The short grass crunched under her sandal-clad feet, and the slight wind whispered through the tops of the trees.

She approached Sephiroth's Tree with her usual caution, showing no outward fear, but with all her senses pricked and alert. She tried so hard not to be frightened of him; she told herself time and time again she wasn't. It was just part of the permanently dangerous aura he excluded, Aeris surmised. The Cetra girl steadied and carefully knelt down beside Sephiroth, pointedly not looking at him. That much wasn't hard; with his black clothes, he blended in with the darkness of the night. She placed the Masamune next to him, and Aeris smoothed her hands over the ground near the Tree, almost touching Sephiroth's left leg. She closed her eyes and felt around on the grass for any irregularities, the slightest bump or swelling in the dirt. 

_There! _Her eyes snapped open as her fingers moved over a nearly unnoticeable lump. Aeris swallowed and tried not to observe how close she was to Sephiroth…it was the closest she had ever been to him. She was near enough to make out the musky, leathery, and not altogether unpleasant scent of him, feel the fine fabric of his pants against her hand...

_Stop it. _Aeris commanded silently, blushing and focusing intently on the task at hand. She clawed her fingers into the cool soil, digging meticulously to avoid hitting the Tree's roots. Too late, she realized she should have made a stop home and picked up a spade to make the digging easier. Aeris started when her hand hit something hard. Excitedly, the young woman scrabbled in the dirt, revealing the corner of an old brown cover. Once she had unearthed enough of the book to get a firm grasp on it, Aeris set her shoulders and pulled.

"Ugh!" She grunted. "It's stuck!" She stood up and threw all of her strength into freeing the book from the ground. With a squeak, Aeris tumbled backwards as the book slid from its spot, showering herself with dirt and landing squarely in Sephiroth's lap. 

"Oh, sweet Planet. How embarrassing." Aeris groaned, her face flaming red. She scrambled off of him as quickly as possible, clutching the musty book to her chest. 

"Sorry," she blurted out to him, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Clearing her throat, Aeris turned around and examined the book of the Bearers. It was a thick and ancient volume, with stains and curls on the engraved cover. A golden clasp reached from the front cover to the back, surprisingly not rusted or tarnished with age. Aeris attempted to pry the lock open with her fingers, but it refused to budge. Undaunted, she quickly reviewed what the Planet had told her, and smiled. Grabbing the Masamune, Aeris headed for home, and the first strains of sunlight appeared from other the horizon. 

Silent as wraiths, the Watchers materialized from the shadows. Nix was at the front, as usual. 

"She is very, very good." He assessed. "She's doing all of our work for us. As soon as she completes the rest of the riddle, we simply take the book from her. You know what to do after that." 

"And then," sighed the Watcher on his right, "we will finally live again." 

"With our return, the humans will learn their rightful place on the Planet: slaves to the Cetra." Nix grinned, looking at Sephiroth and patting the man amiably. "And you, dear Sephiroth, will be the one to help us."

The ten shrouded figures moved like smoke on the wind, and like it, soon vanished. But if one looked closely, he could make out a cluster of shadows where there should have been none, moving steadily after Aeris. 

Aeris snuck into Ifalna's house with no problem, and brought inside with her an armful of firewood. She settled down in the den and, using her natural spell casting abilities, started a fire. Aeris's eyes glinted in determination as she stoked the fire higher. She tossed another stick into the blazing fireplace, watching as it sent up a shower of tiny sparks, and bit her lip. Aeris gripped the book with both hands, praying that she was doing the right thing…and cast it into the fire. The flames roared and leapt furiously; Aeris fell backwards for fear of being singed. For a horrifying moment, she thought was wrong and that her quest for answers was doomed, that she had destroyed the book of Bearers. But there, amidst the blaze, sat the book, perfectly unharmed. She chuckled in relief, and grabbed the fireplace tongs. Using them, she picked up the book and dropped it on the floor, waiting a minute to let it cool. 

"Flametongues to free the pages," she quoted softly, and pressed the golden lock with a tentative finger. It snapped open easily. Elated, Aeris flipped it open; her hands were trembling from excitement. Finally, _finally_, she would know!

The first page was blank. She blinked a bit at that, but didn't let it faze her. She flipped to the next page, and the next, not believing what she saw. Blank! All the pages were blank! Her heart felt like it was plummeting into her stomach. Was this some cruel joke of the fates, or the Planet? To have come this far and find nothing was a slap in the face to her. 

_Wait. Calm down. Think. There's more of the puzzle to be solved yet. _Aeris realized. "Liquid life to free the words. What could be liquid life?" The young woman mused aloud. "Well, maybe water…it supports all life, after all. But I'm not sure if that would be it. What else…liquid life."

She gasped; it was like a light was thrown upon her, and suddenly she could see. "The Lifestream! Mako is literally liquid life!" She laughed aloud. "I've done it! I've solved the riddle!"

There was a soft sound, a footstep, and Ifalna sleepily stepped into the room, presumably woken by the ruckus her daughter was causing. 

"…Aeris? What on the Planet are you doing up so early? And…what's that you've got there?" 

Aeris, thinking fast, kicked the Masamune (which glowed angrily in protest) under the couch. She smiled weakly. "Um. Nothing."

"What are you doing?" Ifalna asked again, and looked wide-awake now. She placed her hands on her hips.

Aeris groped desperately for an answer. "Um…ah…studying?"  

                 


	12. Chapter 11: Of Kings and Queens

Dedicated to all you AeriSeph shippers out there…heaven knows I've been keeping you waiting. Sorry for the extremely long wait, and thanks to all who reviewed. ^_~ Enjoy!

Chapter 11: De Rois et Reines—Of Kings and Queens 

Sephiroth, perhaps regaining some of the stoic, dispassionate air he had displayed in life, was beginning to be unaffected by the agony-filled, endlessly repeating scenes of his dreams. He could only watch Nibelheim burn so many times before he started to not care anymore, and he wondered if he had ever really felt guilt in the first place.

"You're a monster," sneered the gory apparition of Aeris that was always near him. "You cannot feel _guilt_. You cannot feel anything." Blood ran down from her mouth to soak into the ripped fabric of her dress, dark against the pale sheen of her skin. 

Sephiroth glared half-heartedly at her, but he was inclined to agree. The cadaverous Aeris didn't stop; her green eyes glinted with malice as she knelt down by Sephiroth, touching his chin with fingers as cold as ice. He fought her, but Aeris forced him to look her in the eyes. Behind her, the flames of Nibelheim burned even brighter, creating a hazy red halo around her.  

"All you brought to the Planet was pain and death." She enunciated her words very deliberately. "You were a plague to all you touched, but you were worse than a disease, for a disease knows not what it does. You…you enjoyed it. Even when you were a child, supposedly innocent, you were a killer. You killed your mother, you know." His gaze sharpened at that.

"You lie. That miserable failure clone and his friends killed Jenova, not I. I died trying to uphold her dream." Aeris laughed cruelly. 

"Silly man. Jenova was not your mother!" She was watching him carefully, hoping for him to break down so she could hurt him even more. 

"How dense do you think I am?" Sephiroth hissed. "I read it in Professor Gast's notes! I was the son of Jenova, the Cetra sealed within the Planet and tested on by the pitiful humans. I saved her and together, Mother and I were going to take back the Planet! We were going to rule it as gods!" 

Aeris seemed amused, and shook her finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, someone is getting crazy again." Sephiroth realized he had said too much to this ghostly creature, and promptly silenced, vowing to ignore her. 

"Jenova was not your mother, Sephiroth," sang Aeris, blood appearing from nowhere to streak down her neck and arm. "And I can prove it!" 

"…" was his reply, as he fought not to snap at the image again. _She's just in your head_, he told himself. _She cannot tell you anything you do not already know._

"You doubt me; I'm hurt," she mock-pouted, touching the horrendous wound in her chest. "But I can show you answers. Real answers, as to where you came from, who you are, and who you can be. Those notes did not provide you with everything that you wanted; they were sketchy, imprecise…vague. Yet you took it for fact because you had nothing else. Now you have the chance to know. Will you take it?" 

Slowly, he looked at her again. She had his attention now, and she knew it. 

Gloating, Aeris wiped a smudge of dried blood from her cheek. "Ah, so the great Sephiroth _does_ have questions about his life? Leave it all to Aeris. I can show you what you seek." 

She closed her eyes, cupped her hands, and concentrated; Sephiroth was eeriely reminded of when she prayed for Holy at the City of the Ancients. A glowing orb formed in her joined palms, a painfully blinding white light that washed over him. 

"Look into the light," she said. Sephiroth stared at her, as though testing her, his expression one of mistrust. Smoke filtered up from the sphere, slowly, curling about her body like a dead lover's caress. The light was below her, and as it struck her face it cast shadows above her eyes and lips, giving her a skeletal and hellish appearance.

_I have nothing to lose_, Sephiroth thought, and gazed into the colorless orb she offered him. There was a flash that burned his eyes, and for a split second, he thought he saw Aeris—not this twisted version who tormented his dreams—but the real girl, smiling at him, with beautiful angel wings. 

Then everything faded into white.             

A shadow fell over Sephiroth, restrained against the Tree with Lifestream bonds. The silver-haired man looked for all the world like he was sleeping peacefully but for the occasional twitch of his face or furrowing of his eyebrows. At one point, his mouth opened as if in shock; no sound came out.

"Is it done?" asked Nix, his flat black eyes focused on Sephiroth. For once, the hood of his red and gold robe was down. He had sickly pale skin and black hair pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. His thin lips seemed to be set in a permanent superior sneer. Despite being of average height and slim build, he carried himself with an air of haughtiness that made him twice as imposing. He tucked his hands into his sleeves.  

"Yes." The Watcher who answered was standing before Sephiroth, his eyes wide open. "'Aeris' showed him everything. From the discovery of Jenova to his birth to his introduction into SOLDIER. He knows the truth now. All that is left is for him to believe it."

"He cannot deny what he has seen. It fits together so well, not a single flaw could he pinpoint." Nix assessed confidently, chuckling. "He will believe it."     

"Are you sure it was wise to have told him the truth…that Jenova is not his mother?" asked the woman Watcher worriedly, a few tendrils of golden hair tumbling from the depths of her hood. "He believed in that so strongly, gave his life based on that fact. Could that one vision have really changed his mind?"

"I know Sephiroth," replied Nix, "and while very intelligent and skeptical, with enough evidence he can be made to believe something. He is actually quite easy to manipulate. How do you think Jenova tricked him so effortlessly in the first place?" 

"He was confused. He hated not knowing who he was, and when he thought he found the answer…he just lost it." The Watcher who gave Sephiroth the vision said quietly, shrugging his broad shoulders that the robe could not conceal. Nix surveyed him coolly and raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes, well…at any rate, he can be influenced. This works to our advantage. We will make him believe he is the King of the Cetra, which is partly true anyway and that he must conquer the Planet. It rightfully belongs to the Cetra, that he already knows. What he doesn't know is that _he _is part Cetra. Revived, Sephiroth will have a new goal: subjugate the humans and rule over the Planet! And then," Nix's smile became sinister, "with humanity subdued, we will kill the "King" and have the Planet to ourselves…as it was meant to be."  

"What of…the Queen?" The Watcher who had put the vision into Sephiroth's mind stood, speaking hesitantly. His voice had softened on the last word, and Nix had noticed. The small man grinned. 

"She is strong, yes, but without the power of the other Bearer she will be simple to defeat. I suppose, to ensure our power, we should kill her as well…" 

The other Watcher stiffened, and one could imagine his face in a grimace. 

Nix suggested slyly, "Or perhaps you could keep her, and it would be like old times, wouldn't it…?"  

The Watcher gave an imperceptible nod, and turned away. Nix shook his head, good-natured disbelief on his face at the Watcher's hopeful affirmative or at something else; no one could read him well enough to truly tell.  

Nix turned away and pointed at an aged Watcher, stoop-backed. "Take care of the girl. We will watch." 

It had taken a while—too long for Aeris's liking—to convince Ifalna that the only reason she was up and reading was because she was feeling restless and couldn't go to sleep. Aeris had carefully shielded the book's blank pages away from Ifalna's wondering eyes, and said she thought reading might have helped her become sleepy.

"Are you sure you're alright? Was your bed comfortable enough? Did you have a nightmare? Are you—" 

"Mother!" Aeris interrupted, feeling tense at Ifalna's barrage of questions. "I'm fine, really! I just couldn't sleep. Please don't worry about me." 

Ifalna opened her mouth as if to protest, but shut it again when she saw the earnest stare Aeris was giving her. She smiled in defeat. "All right. I can't help worrying about you, dear, but I realize that you're an adult and you can take care of yourself." Ifalna kissed Aeris on the top of her head. "Try to get some sleep." 

A cloud of guilt had settled over Aeris as she watched her mother leave the room. It grew heavier with each step she heard Ifalna take up the stairs, and continued to tighten its stranglehold on her as she sat watching the fire. Lying was something that always made her feel sick, even when it was done out of necessity. 

She remembered her mission. Swallowing hard to clear the lump of remorse lodged in her throat, Aeris tucked the Bearers' book under her arm and reached under the couch to retrieve Masamune. The great sword blazed fiercely in her hand, nearly blinding her with its brightness. 

"Hey! I'm sorry for kicking you, but it was either that or let my mother see you and have a fit!" She whispered loudly. The glow died down, leaving a calm, steady pulse of light instead. 

"That's better." Aeris doused the fire in the fireplace with a quick water spell. Pausing only to grab a light jacket and tie her hair away from her face, Aeris quietly snuck out of the room and shut the front door. The "liquid life" of the Planet's message, mako, could be found quite easily in the Promised Land, which was actually another plane of existence cushioned within the ever-moving Lifestream. It would have been impossible, therefore, for Shinra to ever have found it on their own; only a Cetra had the knowledge to be able to find it. 

Aeris passed through a small meadow dotted with wildflowers, and recognized it from her first day in the Promised Land, when Ifalna had bade her to look into the pool of the Lifestream and see her friends. She hurried through the field, illuminated with the gentle gold light of the early morning sun, searching for that pool of Lifestream. Her keen eyes finally picked up the telltale swirls of green rising up from the ground, indicating that mako energy was strong there. Masamune had dimmed slowly, perhaps in fear or respect for the Planet's lifeblood, and Aeris smiled as she knelt down on the grass beside the emerald wisps. Vertigo of green Lifestream met her eyes, far deeper and fiercer than any simple puddle. This was a hole that opened up the Promised Land to the Lifestream. 

Taking a deep breath, Aeris hesitantly submerged the Bearers' book in the mako, flinching when the liquid touched her hands. It didn't hurt her like it did normal people; it just caused a strange, burning sensation on her skin. She made sure that all the pages had been sufficiently dipped in the Lifestream's flowing essence before withdrawing the book. Aeris wiped her hands on the long meadow grasses and steeled herself. 

_If this works, then I will finally completely understand. I'll have all the answers I need. _Willing her rapidly beating heart to slow, Aeris slowly opened up to the first page. Her mouth dropped as words began appearing on the paper right before her eyes, fading in gradually and turning darker and more permanent with each passing moment. It read, in a hand slanted like rain, "**The Book of Cetra Kings and Queens: Accounts by Aegon Escalus and Luciana Cymbelline, the Fifth Bearers**". With a shock, Aeris realized that in her haste to find the book, she had completely forgotten about what was probably the most important part of everything that was going on.

"As a Bearer…I'm also the Queen," she murmured, fingering a curl of her hair absentmindedly. "How could I forget? As if there weren't enough problems already. I have to lead others when I don't even know where I'm going."

In her hands, the book beckoned her. She flipped to the next page, and watched in amazement as the words showed up. 

"'I am Aegon, of the Fifth generation of Bearers, and as I write these words my other half, Luciana, sits next to me. We have only recently recognized our half-souls, perhaps a week or so ago. The dreams were the obvious clue; they allowed me only to dream of Luciana, and she of me. These dreams are very vivid, so much so I do not think I could describe them past saying they seem real.'" 

"That certainly sounds familiar," Aeris mused. "I had all those dreams of Sephiroth nearly right after I entered the Promised Land." She skimmed the rest of the page, noting Aegon's acceptance of the half-soul, and apparently the nobility that came with it: "'Luciana and I will be crowned tomorrow in a grand ceremony before all the Cetra. It is to be wonderful'." Aeris paused, and wondered for a moment what it would feel like to stand before her people, have them finally accept her, and perhaps even grow to love her. Then she realized she would have to have Sephiroth stand and be crowned next to her, and her vision was swept away. 

Aeris read a bit more, finding it interesting but not particularly helpful—there was more about the ceremony, and how happy the two Bearers were together—until she came to a hastily-scrawled paragraph that read, "'We have the feeling that something ominous is going to happen. Our Watchers, Aidan and Nadia, have been acting strangely for the last few days. Nadia is very cold and distant to her charge Luciana, and Aidan has been flippant and short with me. They are both watching us every minute of every day, much like a pair of hawks will stalk the rabbits staked as prey. They were once our greatest and most reliable friends; we could and did tell them anything. Aidan and Nadia have protected us, taken care of us; they were the ones who discovered us and brought us together in the first place. We owe them greatly. But now…we do not trust them. Their eyes are hungry when they look upon their Bearers. Their presence is nearly intolerable to Luciana, who is more perceptive than I in matters concerning fellow Cetra. She says she feels malevolence coming from them. We dearly hope we are wrong.'" 

"They weren't wrong, were they," she whispered aloud, looking sadly at the book. "They could sense the change in their Watchers. How frightening must that have been, to look at the ones you once trusted and feel doubt of them creep into your mind?"    

"How indeed." A voice smoothly interrupted her musings. Aeris squeaked in surprise and looked up. Like a spectre of the night slunk the Librarian. 

"Rari?" She frowned. A shadow was threatening the edges of her vision, and her throat burned. Something was not right. "What…what are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same question, my dear," Rari chuckled, but Aeris didn't relax. She became keenly aware of the book in her hands, closing it and clutching it tightly to her breast. 

"What do you have there?" His eyes behind the glasses were piercing; Aeris had to suppress the urge to turn away from their intensity. 

"Just…a book I found. It's nothing, really." answered the girl guardedly. There was an unspoken sense of tension in the air, and even when Rari smiled kindly at her it did not alleviate her nervousness—his kindness did not appear sincere anymore. A droplet of Mako trickled down her arm, leaving a trail of neon green against her pale skin.  

"If you're having trouble deciphering it, I could help you," suggested Rari. "I am quite fluent in the old Cetra tongue." 

"That's not necessary." Aeris declined, standing up slowly, backing away, her arms wrapped around the book held at her chest. A sense of wrongness choked the air, stifled everything. Her heartbeat was racing now, and a growing amount of adrenaline coursed through her veins. _Casual…act casual…_

"I can see right through you, little one." Rari said, his sweet smile turning dark. Aeris took a step backward, her eyes widening at the decidedly sinister look on his face. "I knew what you were from the moment I first set eyes on you. You cannot hide, from one such as I…Bearer of the half soul, and Queen of the Cetra!" His last words were hissed mockingly.

"Who are you, really?" Aeris shouted uselessly, too late. She was answered as he shed his brown Librarian robes, revealing the brilliant gold-trimmed red mantle of a Watcher. Rari then carelessly tossed off his glasses to the side. The lenses shattered, and Aeris met his eyes with trepidation; they fairly glowed with power.

The impression of something overwhelming unnatural hit Aeris like a physical blow, and she gasped and staggered to the ground, her mind whirling. Her stomach rebelled fiercely against whatever fell means Rari was using to harm her. 

"So weak. So pitifully weak! And yet the Planet favors you above all others…even those others who are more deserving. It boggles my mind, and I have studied Cetra history while it was being made. I can find no reason why you, of all Cetra, would be so chosen…so privileged." He sneered down his nose at her, eyes mere reddish slits. A particularly vicious twist in her abdomen punctuated his words. Aeris gagged and clutched her stomach, the book of Cetra Kings and Queens falling to her side. Rari circled her, grinning victoriously, a snake with a wounded bird trapped in its coils. Aeris's trembling fingers scrabbled in the dirt, desperate, searching, as the inside of her belly writhing in fire. A cool voice—an image of silver and green—cutting through the pain, ordering gently, "Stall him".             

"Why?" She choked weakly, her hands still moving over the damp earth. Bile burned her throat.

"Why?" scoffed Rari. "Why what?" He roughly nudged her with his foot. 

Tears leaked down Aeris's grimacing face. "Why…are you torturing me? I have done nothing!" Unseen, her hands gripped something cold and hard. 

Rari didn't hesitate. He seemed to want to gloat. "I will not stand by and watch as a proud, superior race are ruled over by a halfling and a son of Jenova! We are worth more than that. The Watchers are worth more than that. With you out of the way, the Watchers can control Sephiroth with ease, and use him to ascend to glory, over humans and Cetra alike!" 

_So now I know…_Aeris managed to think. _That's what they want!_

"That's a nice plan," Aeris said in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone. Even Rari, who did not know her, was surprised and leaned down a little to inspect her. The girl drew all of her strength and bolted upwards, dealing Rari a strike with the item she had found lying near her, the Masamune, as she did so. He shrieked and fell back, hands clutching his chest. Grabbing the book and the sword tightly, Aeris dashed away, as fast as her unsteady feet could take her. Her mind was a jumble in which only one thought stood out clearly:

_I must get to Sephiroth! Before…before they do…_       


	13. Chapter 12:

Author's Note: I've been pretty busy recently. First, I got writer's block with RtS and gave up on fanfiction for a while to pursue original fiction. I'm also swamped with college stuff, this being my senior year. But the fact that people still reviewed RtS really got to me, and I want to finish the story for them. So my updates may be few and far between, but don't worry: I haven't given up! Without further delay, please enjoy this fun-filled chapter! ^_^  
  
ALSO: If you want me to e-mail you when I update, please e-mail me! I know some of you already did, but I had problems with my e-mail address so PLEASE send them to me again! Thanks a million! 

Chapter 12: The Awakening  

Blood dripped down slowly from the gash across Rari's chest as he lay prone on the ground, motionless more from disbelief than actual pain. He remembered himself and propped up on his elbows. Rari snarled fiercely, and watched as Aeris ran at her shambling pace, disappearing into the darkness. He placed both hands over the shallow cut and murmured a few words in the ancient Cetra tongue. A red glow blazed from his palms and surrounded the wound, rebuilding flesh and skin in a matter of seconds.

"Well, you managed to muck that up," the mocking voice of the female Watcher as she appeared out of the shadows. Rari glared at her.

"How was I supposed to know she would use the Masamune? She was supposed to be frail and weak!" snapped Rari. 

"Even the weakest of Cetra have that hidden spark of strength." the woman said sagely. "And you should have known, from seeing the magical power she wielded while alive, that this Cetra is not weak." 

Rari snorted dismissively but didn't say anything more. The female Watcher added more venom to her voice as she continued to chide him.

"And you also should know that Nix wants her alive. No more using your mental powers to physically hurt her. Nix won't be happy if you burst her lungs or something."

"Why does he insist that that brat be kept unhurt anyway," grumbled Rari. "She'll always be a threat to us while alive, or even while here in the Promised Land, as she just proved." 

The female Watcher grinned slightly and shook her head. "Don't you worry your silly old head about it. Nix has everything planned out. He'll have her in his grip soon enough. He's done it before, and he can do it again…despite your bungling." Her tone was near-reverent when speaking about the leader of the Watchers; she held Nix in such high regard it seemed that he could do no wrong in her eyes. But at the mention of Rari, her voice became full of malice and biting sarcasm. The Librarian's face flushed as red as his robes. 

"Respect your elders and betters, Shaina, or you'll find yourself trapped in a very dangerous corner," Rari snapped, his eyes briefly flaring red. "I've read about Nix. I know about his previous incarnation. And I know how he brought about his downfall: with the same inexorable curiosity he's displaying now! He refuses to sacrifice a real threat just to satisfy his curiosity!"

"Don't talk about Nix like that! He's learned from whatever few mistakes he made during his time on the Planet. He's stronger now, much stronger than you or I could even imagine. I bet he could even take on the Great Sephiroth." Shaina spat back, both angry at Rari's accusations and proud of Nix's accomplishments.

"Well, I still don't like any of it," muttered the old Watcher, more to himself than to Shaina. "And what's more, I don't trust that young guy either…that Watcher is young, and foolish, and always has a silly lovelorn look in his eyes. People in love are always the most dangerous; they've got the most to gain and the most to lose…not that you'd know about love, you coldhearted little tramp…" Wisely, Shaina ignored Rari's ramblings, putting them down as the deluded mumblings of a senile old Cetra. 

With no further discussion, the two Watchers calmly but relentlessly walked in the direction Aeris had fled.   
Time, they had decided, was on their side.   

When Aeris took her first step into the Grove, the pain in her abdomen abruptly halted and ebbed away, as did the pain at Rari's apparent betrayal of her confidence and trust. The soft, warming light of dawn was just starting to creep up over the countryside, casting a gentle glow over everything. She bit her lip so hard a drop of blood appeared, and clutched the tome to her chest with her arms tightly crossed. Her eyes flickered nervously from side to side, scanning the darkness for movement. Except for the swaying of the grass and the occasional chirp of a bird, all was still and silent. Aeris trotted soundlessly through the Grove, her feet unconsciously taking the path she had trod so many times before. 

And there he was. Sephiroth. The man of her nightmares and dreams. Her murderer and, if she ever fully accepted the Soul Prophecy, her soulmate. 

Aeris stared at him, all of her nerve and resolve suddenly draining out of her. Did he get bigger, or did the Tree he was chained to get smaller? Her fingers trembled, and she gripped the book harder. 

_How…how can I do this? How do I wake him up? _Aeris thought desperately, and then, when an idea seemed to strike her, thought, _Could I do this? I don't think I'm strong enough…or have enough forgiveness in my heart. I said I was not afraid of him, but I would be if he was awake! I can't just forget that he was the one who killed me…he took away my dreams of settling down, getting married, having children. Just remembering what he took away from me hurts. He took me away from my friends and my family…and from Cloud. _The very name of her former bodyguard sent a pang through Aeris. _I lost him. I lost my chance with Cloud, all because of you!_

She looked—no, glared—at Sephiroth, his face more serene than she had ever seen it while he was living. She wanted to hate him right then; hate him for being eternally unaware, for not having to _feel_ ever again, while she suffered here, chased like an animal, still an outcast among her own people. 

An image of reading to Sephiroth by the Tree slipped unexpectedly into her mind, along with the surprisingly warm feelings associated with the memory. Aeris started, and the rage at her own situation slunk away like a chastised dog. Her stomach hurt from shame. She was blaming him for everything that went wrong, and it wasn't fair. 

_And not feeling anything for eternity…not even pain…must be a fate worse than death_, she realized. _Feeling is what keeps us…human._

Aeris looked at Sephiroth again, this time with a gaze unburdened by anger. She saw how his long eyelashes cast shadows on his pale cheeks, making him appear like a child. Silver hair trailed down to the ground, rough and unkempt where it was once lustrous and immaculate. Dark circles were smudged under his eyes, and his entire body—always lean and long-limbed—was now gaunt. He looked oddly like a lost little boy who was growing awkwardly into a body too big for him. Aeris's emerald eyes were full of sorrow.

"Oh Sephiroth…I guess neither one of us had a chance, hmm?" She whispered wryly. "We were both little more than pawns in a game we had no hope of understanding."

The snap of a branch to her left jumped her nerves into awareness. Her head snapped up and the rest of her body froze. With her huge green eyes, delicate body, and tiny feet, Aeris resembled a startled deer. She saw, or thought she saw, dark figures moving around in the shadows, and freshly-awakened fear coursed through her blood. Aeris knelt down beside Sephiroth, her bare knees on top of his black leather coat. She swallowed visibly, and when she spoke, her voice was strained. 

"I…I think I finally know how to wake you up." The man slumbered on, and her eyes watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. For no logical reason, she felt a need to explain her actions to him…as if he could hear her and scrutinize her. Aeris twiddled her fingers and shyly raised her eyes to gaze at his face.

"It was something that Aegon said in his book…'When I first kissed Luciana, it was as if I had finally woken from the slumber I had unknowingly been in all my life.' His words just struck a chord with me. It sounded so…right. I guess this sounds dumb, but I don't have any other ideas right now."

Aeris wished he could say something. Sephiroth was calm and calculating if he wasn't anything else, and he could probably come up with half a dozen great ideas for waking up someone in an enchanted sleep and bound to a tree with Lifestream bonds. But the responsibility fell solely on her shoulders. Hadn't she always had to make important decisions alone? Aeris nodded and squared her shoulders. 

"If this doesn't work, I'll feel awfully silly and the Watchers will probably come to finish me off. And if it does work…I still don't know what I'll do." Aeris coughed nervously, and fidgeted where she sat. Her thoughts came pouring out of her mouth like an anxious river. 

"But I have to do it. So I hope you'll understand, and I hope you won't kill me for this," she addressed Sephiroth, only half joking. Aeris steeled herself and squeezed her eyes shut.

_Planet, give me strength! _

She leaned forward slowly and, before she could change her mind, pressed her lips to his. The kiss lasted for perhaps ten seconds, but to Aeris it seemed like a much longer and shorter time at once…like forever in a moment. It was as if an electric charge raced through her body, tingling, awakening every nerve to wonderful sensitivity. Her lips burned pleasantly from the barely-there warmth of his. Aeris gasped and pulled away. She brushed her fingers against her lips, wondering at the sensation. 

_That was…that was…wow._ None of the kisses she had shared with Zack had made her feel that way, and the one innocent kiss on the cheek she had experienced with Cloud was just that: innocent.

_Now is not the time, Aeris! _She mentally scolded herself, and focused her attention on the matter at hand. She watched Sephiroth carefully, blushing, waiting for him to stir. She sat motionless as one minute passed. Then two.

And still, nothing happened. Against her will, Aeris felt her eyes tear up with frustration.

"No!" cried the girl. "This isn't fair! You…you have to wake up!" Sephiroth remained frozen, silver hair falling down around his shoulders. Desperation rose like bile in her throat, stung her eyes, stabbed at her heart. Sobbing, she threw herself onto him, her fists beating ineffectually against his chest. 

"Wake up, you stupid, stupid man--!" Aeris wept. "We're in so much danger, and I don't even know what else I can do! Gods, Sephiroth, wake up! Wake up! Please! Wake up and…and say something! Say anything!"  

"Stop hitting me." 

It was low and weak, to be sure, but it was spoken in the deep, unmistakable voice of Shinra's finest General. Aeris's face turned ghostly white, her emerald eyes as big as saucers. She slowly looked up from her position across his chest to see his face from below. His eyelids were barely parted, and she could only faintly make out the glimmer of his Mako green eyes staring straight ahead from behind his lashes. His muscles had sprung back into life, taut and at the ready.

Aeris was speechless. Her mind grabbed onto the only thing it could amidst its shocked confusion.   

_Stop hitting me. _

Sephiroth's first words as a newly-awakened man.  

All ten Watchers stood united, red hoods pulled down to plunge their faces into shadow, at the edge of the Grove. To any other people, the two forms of Aeris and Sephiroth would be indiscernible from the trees and shadows; the Watchers, however, with their magically-enhanced vision, could easily make out the detail on Aeris's hand-woven dress. 

"Nix…" murmured Shaina. "She's done it. I don't believe it, but she's done it. She's awoken the mighty Sephiroth, from a state of limbo that the very Planet put him in!" 

Eight Watchers exchanged glances of surprise, disbelief, wonder, even a little fear. Nix didn't look at anyone; he stared at the two still figures silhouetted in the early morning light, a small smile grazing his lips as he watched his carefully-placed puzzle pieces falling neatly into place. And the other Watcher who did not share any glances was the young one—out of all ten he was one of the youngest—that Rari so disapproved of. He kept his eyes cast down, looking at the bottom of his red robe. One hand rose up and touched a spot on his cheek, but quickly returned to its place inside a wide sleeve. If one could have seen his bright blue eyes, they would have been astounded at the raw pain and longing in their depths.

But no one could see.

He would continue to suffer in silence.                                                         


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Sincere apologies for the ridiculously long wait. I plan to finish this story…I just don't know when, as I also want to do a complete overhaul of the first 12 chapters (like getting rid of all the chapter titles!). Thanks to everyone who had reviewed; I appreciate it. Special thanks to Noacat, who has reviewed and e-mailed a lot of encouragement. Enjoy, everyone!

Chapter 13

Aeris's voice had completely fled. Her mind was frozen. It was all she could do to simply stare at Sephiroth. Those cold, cruel eyes fixed her in place; the eyes of a wolf, watching a stunned deer, watching and waiting.

_Oh God!_ The girl forced herself to swallow. Her tongue licked at suddenly dry lips. _What do I say? What do I say to the one who killed me, and the one who is my fellow Bearer?_ A mocking voice in her head taunted, _And I thought you said you weren't afraid of him! And here you can't even say anything!_

She cleared her throat, fumbled a little. "You're…awake."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Aeris wanted to die from embarrassment. She sounded like a moron, and a scared one at that! If she could have prayed for the Planet to open out and swallow her whole, she would have done so in a heartbeat. Just to save herself from the glaring scrutiny of those eyes! She braced herself for a scathing, semi-maniacal retort from the former General—the kind she was used to, back from her days with AVALANCHE.

But Sephiroth had remembered her from his nightmares, the ones that the Bearers had sent him, in which the living-dead Aeris harassed him endlessly. They were tempered slightly by a fuzzy memory of a pale and tired voice reading to him throughout the night...only slightly. The juxtaposition of these images, plus being awoken out of a supposedly-eternal sleep, served only to confused Sephiroth.

To keep things simple, he craned his neck to the side, apparently trying to see his surroundings better. He didn't meet her gaze.

Aeris gaped at him. _What? No reply, no crazy laughter, nothing?_

"What is this place, girl?" He asked, his head trained away from her. Practically ignoring her!

"The Promised Land," she whispered, still in shock from his awakening and his apparent calmness. She knew he was cold, but how could he not allow even a speck of confusion reach his eyes?

Just as that thought passed through her mind, Sephiroth's dispassionate mask slipped for a moment as wonder seeped into his features. His eyes roved hungrily over the landscape, taking in everything: the rolling hills, the meadows, a meandering river, the buildings and homes in the distance, and what looked like pockets of pure Mako. Everything was drenched in dawn's golden sunlight, at times so dizzyingly bright that even the great Sephiroth had to squint. As Aeris watched, a smile spread over his lips; unfortunately, it was one she well recognized. It was nearly the same one that he had displayed to Cloud, after drawing the Masamune out of her dead body…

_Mother, we've done it! We made it to the Promised Land—we've ascended from that worthless Planet to our rightful place in Paradise! _Sephiroth crowed triumphantly to Jenova through their mental link. He waited eagerly for her familiar voice to praise him.

There was silence.

_…Mother?_

His hands trembled.

_Mother?? MOTHER!_

Aeris was completely unprepared for the inhuman howl that ripped itself out of Sephiroth's throat and echoed amongst the trees. She scrabbled backwards fearfully, watching as his muscles strained and tore against the glowing bonds of Lifestream binding him to the tree. His eyes latched onto Aeris, his only target, and he quickly forgot his previous aversion to looking at her.

"You! What witchery is this? Where is my Mother?!" the silver-haired man shrieked, directing all of his pent-up rage and bewilderment at her. Aeris trembled; she had never seen him beserk like this before.

"She…she's dead," stuttered the girl. Her noble ideals and philosophizing attitude about Sephiroth had disintegrated in the face of his raw anger. It was one thing to be accepting of someone who was asleep; when this same person awoke, and one was confronted with his fearsome, practically lethal aura, it was a whole different story. She struggled to speak to him, to explain all that she had learned of his past.

"Cloud and the others killed her. Right before they killed y..." Wisely, she trailed off. He glared fiercely at her, his anger providing a barrier strong enough to force the memories of her out of his mind.

"So your pitiful friends saved the Planet," he murmured. Experimentally, he flexed one arm and then the other. The Lifestream bonds held tight. "What a shame. For as soon as I'm out of here, I will destroy it once and for all. I will not make the mistake of underestimating that failure clone again."

Aeris gasped, her fear at his words giving her hidden strength. "You'll never be able to create destruction like Meteor again, Sephiroth! Don't you see? Your whole life has been a lie! I…I want to show you the truth. You deserve to know."

_And maybe, just maybe, I can tell you about the Soul Prophecy…_

Aeris brought her hands together and began to summon forth a white light—a light that was painfully familiar to Sephiroth. His blazing green eyes widened as he remembered.

"_I can show you answers. Real answers, as to where you came from, who you are, and who you can be. Those notes did not provide you with everything that you wanted; they were sketchy, imprecise…vague. Yet you took it for fact because you had nothing else. Now you have the chance to know. Will you take it?"_

_Slowly, he looked at her again. She had his attention now, and she knew it._

_Gloating, Aeris wiped a smudge of dried blood from her cheek. "Ah, so the great Sephiroth does have questions about his life? Leave it all to Aeris. I can show you what you seek."_

_She closed her eyes, cupped her hands, and concentrated; Sephiroth was eeriely reminded of when she prayed for Holy at the City of the Ancients. A glowing orb formed in her joined palms, a painfully blinding white light that washed over him._

_"Look into the light," she said…_

He had, and she had shown him atrocities, hideous lies. She fed him a tale of a foolish scientist named Lucrecia, her Turk lover, and that hateful excuse for a man, Hojo. And she had said…she had said that Hojo was his father, Lucrecia his mother, and Jenova nothing but an alien parasite who had almost single-handedly destroyed the Cetra. The cadaver Aeris had laughed when she saw the horrible truth descend on Sephiroth: he was not an Ancient. He was nothing but a sad boy grown into a deluded man, injected with Jenova cells, blessed with abilities beyond any normal human, and loved by no one. He refused to believe it, despite the fact that the story was apparently flawless.

"No!" He snarled, frightening Aeris and disrupting her concentration. The white light winked out of existence. "I won't fall for your tricks again, girl!"

"What tricks?" cried Aeris. "I haven't done anything!"

"Witch," Sephiroth growled. "You appeared in my dreams. Under the pretense of telling the 'truth', you wove a ridiculous web of lies designed to trap me into weakness! I will not have it!"

The accusation caused Aeris's face to flush angrily, and for the first time she dared to challenge him. "I did no such thing! If you were dreaming about me, then it was your own fault!" _Just as I've been dreaming about you…_

Mako-enhanced green eyes, as hard as smoky emerald, narrowed into slits. "Don't kid yourself. Every dream I had about you was a nightmare," he said, putting as much venom as he could into the words. It worked. Aeris's lower lip trembled a little before she caught it between her teeth.

"I don't want to fight with you, Sephiroth." She said, regaining her composure. "I want to…I have to help you. For the Planet's sake. It needs my help…and it needs yours too."

"As if I would believe that," responded the silver-haired man tartly. "If you had forgotten, I tried to destroy the Planet. I sincerely doubt it would want my help now. And if it does…" He indicated his bonds. "It has a funny way of showing it."

"That couldn't be helped." She said defensively. "And you're wrong about the Planet. It does want your help. There is a great evil on the move, and…and…" Aeris couldn't bring herself to say anything about the Bearers. Sephiroth merely closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the Tree, giving the impression that their conversation was over.

Aeris covered her face with her hands in despair. _This isn't working. I thought his insanity had been cured by the Lifestream, but apparently not! I can't convince him of anything!_

She suddenly remembered the book in her hands and the sword lying next to her.

"So you believe I'm lying?"

He didn't even gratify that with a response.

Aeris laid the Masamune across her palms and offered it to him—far away from his grasp, but close enough for him to inspect it. "How, then, would I have your sword?"

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open and he fixed her with a blazing glare. Aeris nearly lost her nerve then, but she pressed on, knowing now that she held some leverage over him.

"How did you get that?" He hissed.

"I'm not exactly sure," she quailed. "It appeared to me after I said that I wasn't afraid of you." Her eyes, clear as a hidden spring, implored him to believe her. Sephiroth snorted and dismissed her claim.

"I couldn't have gotten it any other way. I died before you did. I think the Planet gave it to me, so that I could…" _Could what? _What did the Planet want her to do with the very weapon that had stolen her life away? The Masamune caught the light and, to Aeris, seemed to land upon Sephiroth.

_Oh no! There is NO WAY I am giving this sword to Sephiroth! _She shook her head rapidly as he watched her.

_Is there truth to this girl's story? _He wondered. _I died with the Masamune in my hand…there's no possible explanation as to how she could have gotten it…_

"What will it take for you to believe me, Sephiroth?"

He regarded her seriously. She sounded as if she truly wished for him to understand. "I think you know."

Aeris gulped. She searched his face for something, and upon finding it, she steeled herself.

"You have to promise to believe everything I'm going to tell you, even if it sounds fantastic. And, naturally, you have to promise not to hurt me." Aeris said. Without breaking eye contact, Sephiroth slowly nodded. She slid the Masamune within a few inches of Sephiroth's right hand. Then, praying silently that she was doing the right thing, she dipped her hands into the Lifestream restraints binding the general to the tree. The Lifestream, magically enhanced by the Cetra, fought her attempts of dispelling it at first. Sephiroth watched with shrewd eyes as the girl, up to her wrists in the shifting green mass, spoke quietly and with great love. Finally, she removed her hands and stepped back a few paces, watching as the Lifestream bonds slowly uncoiled, melded together, and seeped into the ground.

Sephiroth raised one arm, and then the other. His muscles, having lain lethargic for so long, protested the movement but he ignored them. He was free; that was what was important.

"Foolish girl," he sneered.

He would exact revenge. From those who had put him here in the first place, AVALANCHE. From those who had ruined his life, the humans. And from those who had tormented his afterlife, the Cetra.

His eyes narrowed, pinpointed on Aeris. He intended to have his reparations paid in blood and he would collect each drop with his own hands.

He would start with this one.

Sephiroth wrapped his long fingers around the hilt of the Masamune, reveling in the feel of the familiar material against his skin. He was up in a flash, sword in hand.

"Sephiroth?" The girl was saying softly. He approached her, saying nothing, black cape snapping menacingly behind him.

She must have seen the murderous intent in his eyes, for her own widened and her face drained of blood. For a moment, he almost felt a pang of an emotion he had not felt for years: shame, for betraying Aeris's trust. To Sephiroth's surprise, she did not flee. Instead, she merely gazed at him. Amazingly, she managed to look upon him with something akin to sympathy and acceptance in her eyes.

She had the same look even as he raised his sword high above his head.

And as he brought the Masamune down, she didn't flinch.


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: I felt bad about posting such a short chapter/cliffhanger last time. So I really tried to write quickly…lo and behold, here's Chapter 14! Just a warning though: this chappie's heavy on dialogue. I'll make up for it, I swear! Read, review, and enjoy…

Chapter 14

Aeris berated herself for her naivety as soon as Sephiroth's eyes darkened and filled with a need for vengeance. _How could I have been so stupid? I just freed the worst murderer the Planet has ever known! And now he's going to kill me! _

She summoned all of her strength. _I will not die with fear in my eyes. _

Aeris observed the sword lift up as if she were watching it from outside her body. It began its downward arc towards her.

And instead of hitting her, the Masamune sliced directly past her and embedded itself in the ground.

Aeris and Sephiroth shared a shocked expression.

"Blast…!" He growled, ripping the Masamune out of the soil. He took it in both hands and plunged it downwards. Again, seemingly by itself, the sword deflected and sank into the ground to the right of the kneeling Aeris. She arched an eyebrow quizzically at him.

"Um…your sword doesn't seem to be working," she said, trying to suppress a giggle. What Sephiroth didn't realize was exactly how close to hysteria Aeris was. Her stomach was lurching nonstop, and her knees felt as weak as a newborn foal's.

_I am so close to being dead, again, and yet here I am antagonizing the psychopath! _

"That it is, Cetra witch!" He yanked her to her feet by wrapping his fist in her long honey-brown hair, and quickly drew the Masamune across her pale neck, not even giving her time to scream. He triumphantly looked down, expecting to see blood coursing down the front of the girl.

And blood did…but it disappeared as soon as it appeared, and the gash on Aeris's neck sealed itself up. Soon there was not one single drop of red visible.

Sephiroth's brows knitted in confusion. _What is going on? I know I am aiming right for her…and yet I cannot harm her! _

Aeris, realizing she was still alive, let out a little laugh. "I should have known!" The once-great General gave her hair a tug, silently demanding to be informed.

"This is the Promised Land! Neither I, nor any other Cetra, can be killed while here. Our spirit energy while here is just too strong. So we may be injured, but we heal." She explained, nonetheless wincing a little at Sephiroth's strong grip on her hair.

"Hmph," snorted Sephiroth. Disgustedly, he let go of her hair and wiped his hand on his pants; Aeris looked slightly offended but wisely held her tongue. He sheathed the now-useless Masamune and took to observing his surroundings. There was silence between them for several minutes. It was much easier for her to interact with him when she didn't look at him, she decided. She could almost pretend he was a regular man.

"I can show you the truth, you know," whispered Aeris. "It's the least you could do, to listen to me, after breaking our original agreement. I can tell you why you're here. I can tell you about yourself." Sephiroth fixed her with a cold glare. It was the last thing he wanted to do, really, but he did have to admit—only to himself, of course—that it was very disconcerting to lack the voice of Jenova in his mind. He felt strangely liberated, but did not understand this. It felt as though he had lost a piece of himself, or conversely, that he had gained something back. Perhaps…perhaps this strange girl could explain it all to him. She had demonstrated her bravery, in not running from him when he first attacked her, and her compassion. Besides, what else could he do in this place, if it was impossible to cause serious pain to others? The Cetra obviously were powerful, and if they saw him wandering around, they would surely bind him up again.

Putting an expression of boredom and apathy on his face, he settled down cross-legged and waved his hand, indicating that she should speak. Despite herself, Aeris felt a surge of joy. He was going to give her a chance! Her features hardened. _That means I can't mess up, then. _

"Well, it's a long story, and it started even longer ago, far before our time. There is something that has become only a legend to us, but it used to be accepted fact. It's called the Soul Prophecy. According to the Prophecy, every millennia a soul is birthed from the Lifestream that is too strong for a single person to receive. Therefore, the soul is split into two, and each half is given to a different person. Usually, these two people, the 'Bearers' as they're called, are Cetra, because we are much more in tune with the Planet's voice and can more easily accept the powers associated with the Half-Soul. The Prophecy also states that because of their unique souls, the Bearers are destined to feel alienated, even when surrounded by others. Without finding their other half, the Bearers die lonely, unfulfilled, and helpless. To ensure this doesn't happen, there are inherent signs to help the Bearers find each other: dreams, sleepwalking, surges of strange power." Aeris paused, both to catch her breath and to gauge Sephiroth's reaction. He was watching and listening intently, cold green eyes betraying nothing. The memory of the alluring music of the moon tried to call her but she ruthlessly squashed it.

"But when the Bearers do find each other…well, then they are extremely powerful. Almost unstoppable." Sephiroth perked up imperceptibly. "And because of this, when they are discovered, they are immediately made the King and Queen of the Cetra. They rule fairly and with kindness, and under their rule, the Cetra flourish. It was only when the Cetra were leaderless that they began to decline and weaken, and eventually died out." Aeris wet her lips, shrugged. "But that isn't all. There are other Cetra with different powers, known as the Watchers. They were supposed to be the protectors of the Bearers, to see potential dangers before they occurred. But something went wrong…I don't know exactly what…and the Watchers succumbed to evil. They hunted down the Bearers, and corrupted them. That is why the Cetra have been leaderless for many, many years."

Sephiroth yawned, and Aeris had the distinct feeling that he did it simply out of spite. "That's a nice fairy tale, little girl, but what does it have to do with me?" The sarcasm in his voice stung.

Aeris's cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Ummm…" _Say it, say it, say it! _

Irritation settled into Sephiroth's countenance as she stalled and stammered for a few more minutes, but he remained silent. _I will not waste any more breath on this slip of a girl._

At last, Aeris managed to stutter out, "It's because…we're the Bearers. You and…me."

Sephiroth's only initial reaction was the arch of one delicate silver eyebrow. Then he shook his head slightly and laughed. It was not a nice laugh.

"Girl—"

"Aeris," she broke in, unable to take his condescending attitude and longer. "My name is Aeris; I don't call you 'boy', so I would appreciate it if you'd call me by my name."

"Girl," he continued, stressing the word with malice, "you are even more deluded now than you were in life, if you think I could possibly believe that story, for there is one intrinsic flaw: you claimed I was a mere human, yet the so-called 'Bearer' can only be a Cetra."

Aeris looked confused. "Um…no offense, but I never said you were a mere human. I was told that by the Planet, but I never communicated it to you."

Sephiroth inwardly cursed at himself. _She only showed me that in the dream! Of course this Aeris wouldn't know about that._ "The Bearers have dreams of each other, you say?"

"Yes," she nodded. He eyed her speculatively. "Dreams of what nature?"

Aeris straightened. "Just…dreams." She had a feeling that if she told him about her sleepwalking and entrancement by the music that only she could hear, she would lose all credibility with him. "And even though when I was alive the Planet informed me that you were not born Cetra, when you were experimented on you were injected with both Jenova and Cetra cells. That, in the eyes of the Planet, made you at least part Cetra."

"Then why did I never hear the voice of the Planet? And why do I no longer hear Jenova?" questioned Sephiroth, his curiosity getting the better of him. As a General, he had always wanted to know the full scope of every situation, and this was no different. He would take all the information he could get from Aeris, and then analyze it, deeming it to be true or not.

Aeris brought up a hand and brushed away some tendrils of hair that had been swept over her shoulder by the wind. "When I was brought into the Lifestream, the Planet told me about you. It said that it had tried to reach out to you several times, but each time it had been rebuffed by your mental shields or it had been overshadowed by a stronger presence in your body—Jenova. You were only injected with Cetra cells after your birth; those from Jenova were injected when you were still in the womb. Those had the advantage. As for why you can't hear Jenova anymore…well, she was killed. And when you were…when you lost that battle with Cloud, Holy and the Lifestream took hold of you and wiped her influence on your mind away." To herself, Aeris thanked the Planet for all that it had told her. At the time, which had been right after her death, she had been too upset to really care about the biography of her murderer, but it had come in handy in the long run.

But when she looked at Sephiroth, he was standing up and shaking his head. His verdict: her story was false. "It's all too convenient, Cetra. I sincerely doubt that you would want to help me in any way, seeing as we are enemies. Additionally, I find it just as hard to believe that we share a soul." He began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going?" called Aeris after him, ignoring the fact that he didn't believe her explanation.

"I'm going to find a way out of here."

"Sephiroth!" She ran to catch up with him. "You can't! There's no way out of the Promised Land." He snorted and kept walking.

"What can I do to make you believe me? You're a Bearer, Sephiroth, and I am too. I didn't want to accept it either, but it's true! I've seen what I can do with the powers of a Bearer, and I've seen the Watchers and what they can do too!" Aeris continued desperately. "They're not Cetra anymore. The Planet abhors them! They're going to do something horrible and it's up to us to stop them!"

"Correction," Sephiroth said frigidly, whirling around to glare at her. "It's up to you to stop them. I want nothing to do with them, or you." His dark expression warned her not to follow him or bother him anymore. "I'm dead. Leave me be."

With that, he walked away.

Aeris sat down in the field, watching him become smaller and smaller. Her skin felt cold despite the warm sun above, and she shivered. The old weariness overtook her, made her feel drained and weak. She ran her hands through her hair slowly, scraping her nails against her scalp. Against her will, a sob rose in her throat. _Sephiroth__ is right…you are a stupid little girl. What were you expecting from him? Regret? An apology? It was too much to ask that he even listen to what I had to tell him before he tried to kill me. And now I've unleashed him on the Promised Land. At least he can't harm anyone…but the Cetra are going to be furious with me._

She buried her face in her hands, tears burning tracks down her cheeks. _How can he be my soulmate? Is the Planet really so cruel as to make my worst enemy the King to my Queen? It's just so unfair…I thought I did everything right, yet I feel like I'm getting punished. Besides the fact that I've ruined everything, I'm being chased by crazy Cetra. Am I losing my mind? _

To the right of her, a twig snapped. Aeris sat bolt upright, her pale face frightened. She clutched the front of her sundress.

"Sephiroth?" She called tentatively. No answer. The wind ruffled the long grass around her slightly. She cast a look back at the Grove, with its safe circle of trees. Oh, she wished that she had never started down this spiraling path of confusion and angst and fear! Better to have left Sephiroth asleep, do the Planet's bidding on her own like the last time.

At the corner of her eye…a flash of red. A high-pitched wail began in her mind.

_Oh no! _

In a moment, Aeris was on her feet and running. The fear of the Watchers was greater even than her feelings, whatever they were, about Sephiroth. Something sickly green whizzed past her head. She spared a glance behind her and saw, to her horror, all ten Watchers standing in a line. One of them had extended his hands and they were glowing with the same green light as what had just missed her. He shot two more bursts at her. Aeris dodged one, but the other hit her directly in the foot. The gooey green substance seemed to solidify at once, creating a sort of cast around her leg. Immediately, her foot felt as if it was weighted down with lead. It crashed to the ground, bringing her down with it.

"Ugh!" She struggled to regain her balance. Failing that, she resorted to pulling herself along on the ground. Heavy footfalls behind her let her know that the Watchers were gaining quickly. She scrabbled in the dirt for a rock, a stick, anything with which to defend herself. There was nothing.

In sheer terror and desperation, Aeris screamed with all of her might.

"SEPHIROTH!" __


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sephiroth's mind was carefully blank as he strode away from the annoying Cetra girl. As much as he hated to admit it he had to concede that her story, especially when paired with the dreams whose content she had known nothing about, made a sick kind of sense. The facts, expressly stated, said that he was never a Cetra at all. He was just what he had despised beyond the brink of insanity: a human. A pitiful, weak, emotion-feeling human. His mother was not an all-powerful Cetra; what he had thought was his mother was really an alien parasite, and his real mother was simply a love-struck fool. And worse, his father was…was…

_Hojo._ The name still dredged up feelings of anger in Sephiroth. More than anything, this was the one point that he did not want to believe. He couldn't believe it. The very thought of it was sickening. If Hojo were considered a human being, then he wanted no part of humanity. He was better off being…

_What am I? _Sephiroth clenched his fists, involuntarily glancing down at the tattoo on his hand. It burned as he glared at it; the pain faded when he turned his eyes away in disgust. Another memento from his supposed "father". A snarl decorated Sephiroth's face as memories attacked him from all sides. They had never been so powerful before. He attributed it to the lack of Jenova's presence; she had blocked all memories from him, both the good and the bad. It was as if suddenly the floodgates had been thrown open in his mind. They were so vivid he didn't even realize that he had sunk to his knees in the field.

_There was a tired-looking woman with long brown hair and glasses. Her eyes were filled with tears; her face was damp with them and with sweat. She hugged him to her chest, and he felt how bony her body was. A door opened. The woman glanced up, and her face became fearful, desperate._

_"Please! Don't hurt us anymore! Don't hurt him!" She cried thinly. But her pleas were unheeded. Suddenly he was grabbed away, from her warmth and her love. Now there was only cold, and two gloved hands. He cried and screamed, and heard his mother answer him, but they were already leaving the room. Behind him, her shrieks grew fainter. The lights became brighter, until he was blinded. Crying, he was placed in a metal crib and quickly hooked up to several machines. A needle went into his chest, and he screamed in pain. Everything went black._

"Ugh!" Sephiroth held his head between his hands. The memory had been so strong that despair had flowed over him. He had felt exactly what he had felt that day, which had recognized as his birth. The pain, the anguish, the terror…it was all so real. He shuddered. What was happening to him? Another memory forced his attention, before even the emotions of the first had faded. __

_He was a child of 7, and already stronger than most Shinra MPs. He lived in the Shinra labs—there was a small room at one end that he had called 'home' for as long as he could remember. And every day, Hojo would run tests on him. He was poked and prodded all over his body, injected with strange liquids, and forced to perform all sorts of grueling performance tests. Right now he was running on a treadmill, with several pads stuck to his chest that were hooked up to a machine. He had been running for over two hours now. His long silver hair was dark and plastered to his back with sweat. He was tired, so tired. His leg muscles were screaming in pain, had been screaming for the past hour or so, yet he did not stop. He knew that his body would hurt much, much more if he dared to step off the treadmill. He had dared it once, and he still had the lashes on his back to prove it. He knew he would feel better if he could just have a sip of water. But the only cup of water in the room was currently held in the left hand of Professor Hojo, while his right scribbled down notes on a pad. Sephiroth's throat burned; his vision swam. The boy lost his balance and tumbled off the treadmill with a crash._

_Nostrils flaring, Hojo looked up to see Sephiroth, heaving with exhaustion and tangled up in wires, sprawled out on the floor. "Boy!" He yelled, enraged. "What are you doing, resting? I told you to run, dammit, and I meant it!"_

_He stomped over and grabbed Sephiroth by the nape of the neck, shaking him like a rag doll. "I have put too much work into your creation to have raised a weakling! You will NOT be weak, boy! Humans are weak, but you are not like them; you are superior! Do not waste all of my hard work, Sephiroth! Because have no doubts…if you ever show weakness of any kind, I will not hesitate to kill you and start over!" _

_Disgust written on his face, he threw Sephiroth back to the floor. "Get up on that treadmill. You've messed up the readings, so you'll have to start over." _

_The dazed and hurting Sephiroth slowly forced himself back onto the treadmill, and with the sad determination of a beaten dog, he began running again. A trickle of blood ran down his lip, but he didn't bother to wipe it away. His mind chanted a mantra with fearsome hatred ringing in it._

_"I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you!"_

Sephiroth growled. His hatred for Hojo was eternal. If there was one thing that he regretted, it was not having killed Hojo when he had the chance. Strife, that weakling, had gotten the distinct pleasure of dispatching Hojo when the right should have been Sephiroth's. Standing, Sephiroth banished the emotions that had, at least for the few minutes it had taken him to relive his past, made him feel uneasy, angry, and even a little scared.

"That was a Cetra trick, no doubt," he said aloud, with no conviction in his voice. He knew it was really because he had lost Mother and her numbing embrace. He gathered himself, surveying the field around him, and set off resolutely to the west; the great Cetra City stood to the east, and he had no desire to encounter the beings that had entrapped him here. Instead, he would hide out in the wilderness for as long as it took to find a way out of here.

But the past wasn't done with him yet. One last memory reached out for him, slipping past his defenses, feeling like a feather brushing against his mind.

_He was eleven now, silver hair only reaching slightly past his shoulders. He was sitting on his cot in his cell, swinging his legs back and forth. He was bored. In between all of the tests and the training, there were often many lonely hours that he was forced to spend alone in the cell. The sounds of a scuffle outside piqued his curiosity, and he ran over to the steel door, standing on tiptoe to peer out of the glass window on top. In the hallway, two men struggled to drag a woman and a little girl along with them. The woman was screaming and fighting with all of her strength, biting, kicking, scratching. The little girl was wailing, tears running down her face. Furious, one of the men yelled something at the woman and gestured wildly at the girl. He swiped his keycard in the lock next to Sephiroth's room, grabbed the child by the arm, and tossed her in, slamming the door shut behind her. With her out of the way, the two men succeeded in overpowering the woman and taking her down the hallway with them._

_Sniffling, the little girl looked around. "Mommy?"_

_Sephiroth stared at her. He hadn't seen another child in years, much less been in the same room with one. She noticed him and looked back with eyes as wide as saucers._

_"You're not my mommy!" She started to cry again. Bewildered, Sephiroth covered his ears. The sounds she was making were inhuman! She continued wailing until, in desperation, Sephiroth walked over to her and awkwardly patted her head. He was extremely uncomfortable, but being near another person of his age—hell, just someone who wasn't a Shinra employee—was refreshing._

_As stiff as they were, his attempts at consolation worked, and the girl's tears tapered off. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at him, doelike._

_"What's your name, mister?"_

_"…S-Sephiroth." He cursed himself for stuttering. He was acting weak!_

_"Sephiroth," she repeated, smiling._

_There was silence as the two of them looked at each other, unsure of what to say next. Finally, the girl reached over and stroked Sephiroth's hair_.

_"You have gray hair. How old are you, Sephy? 'Cuz I've got a neighbor and his name is Benjamin and he's 70 and he's got gray hair too!" She leaned closer to Sephiroth, inspecting his hair. "Actually, I think yours is prettier than his! It's shiny." _

_Sephiroth__ jerked away. He ignored her nickname. He didn't know what to feel. No one had ever dared to actually touch his hair before; the only time he felt a human touch was when Hojo gripped his arm to steady it for an injection. Who was this strange little girl, really? She was oblivious to his agitation and kept chattering._

_"I guess you must be really old. Me, well, I'm only 6. I hope that we can still be friends, though!" She smiled at him sweetly._

_"Friends?"__ Sephiroth repeated dumbly. _

_"Yeah!"__ The little girl looked around the cell. "Only it looks like you don't have many toys to play with." This was an understatement; all the cell contained was a cot, a small washroom with a sink and shower, a blanket, and dust._

_"Well, that's okay. Since we're friends, I'll share my secret special game with you!" Conspiratorially, she whispered to him, "I'll tell you what the voices in my head tell me!" _

_Sephiroth__ stared at her. He noticed that she had very, very green eyes. They were the color of the grass outside that he sometimes caught a glimpse of, only they seemed to glow slightly, giving her the appearance of someone much older. Her honey-brown hair was wavy and about the same length as his. _

_The girl closed her eyes and concentrated. _

_She's crazy, Sephiroth thought. She hears voices in her head. He ignored the fact that he himself sometimes heard a voice, low and sibilant, that told him to do bad things. This child was just playing pretend, that was all. The girl reached out suddenly and touched his hand. Her skin was smooth and the color of milk. _

_"The Planet told me that you're sick," the girl said solemnly, watching him. "It says you have something bad inside you."_

_"What?" Sephiroth found his voice, and found that his heart was beating rapidly. How could she know…? And why did she say the Planet was talking to her? _

_"It says you shouldn't listen to the bad voice. She's mean. She wants to hurt people." The girl looked sad. "I'm sorry, Sephy. The Planet says it's sorry too. We don't like the bad voice, but we like you a lot!" _

_Sephiroth__ suddenly grew enraged in the face of her pity. "Don't feel sorry for me! I'm gonna be the best SOLDIER ever, and no stupid bad thing will ever stop me! So stop playing pretend and acting like you know me!" _

_Taken aback, the girl's lower lip trembled and she caught it between her teeth. But she did not remove her hand from his._

Sephiroth broke out of his reverie as if doused with cold water. He could see the little girl as clearly as though she was standing right in front of him. She had the same emerald eyes, sun-kissed hair, and oddly-endearing habit of biting her bottom lip as…as…

A scream pierced the silence of the Promised Land. Sephiroth didn't even have to strain to make out what was shrieked, and who had shrieked it.

"SEPHIROTH!"

Aeris… 

_Was Aeris really the girl I met in the lab? Who else could it have been, really? _He tried to recall more about their meeting, but now his memories remained purposefully locked away, as opposed to their previously unbridled reign. His features hardened. If Aeris truly was the girl who had been thrown into his cell, then she had known about Jenova; she had known about everything. And, as pitiful as the offer was, she—as a 6-year old child—was the first person to ever approach him with the intent of friendship.

It would be so easy to just keep walking forward, to forget about her, to leave her to whatever fate she was facing now. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to forget the raw kindness and innocence in the eyes of that little girl.

Making a quick decision, Sephiroth turned on his heel and took off at a run, back towards Aeris.

_At the very least, maybe I'll be able to kill something_, he smirked, drawing the Masamune.

Tears were running down Aeris's cheeks as she pried unsuccessfully at the hard green mass on her leg. She was far too emotionally weak from her encounter with Sephiroth to even focus on summoning the Bearer's power again. Anguish tore at her heart, but she refused to give up. Pressing one of her hands to the magical cast, she whispered, "Bolt 3!" The electric shock was repelled by the green substance and ricocheted back into Aeris's hand. She fell onto her back, stunned, hair slightly fried. Her nerve endings tingled unpleasantly. Shocked and incapacitated, Aeris waited for the Watchers, certain that her death was just around the corner—nevermind that supposedly Cetra here were unable to be harmed. She knew there were things worse than death. And so she closed her eyes and savored what she guessed were to be her last moments as herself. She felt a sickly, evil aura, and didn't have to look to know that they were there.

Nix, grinning from ear to ear, stood over her. Behind him, in a semi-circle, stood the other nine.

"Ah, my Queen," he said. "We meet at long, long last." He made a fanciful bow, reveling in the fear and disgust written on her pale face.

"I have been watching you, but I do not think you have met me. I am Nix, and though I was originally Sephiroth's Watcher, I have invested interest in both of you."

_This…this beast was Sephiroth's Watcher? _Her surprise must have shown, because Nix threw back his head and laughed. Aeris's brow furrowed; his laugh struck something deep within her, almost as if she had heard it before...

He scowled at her and she inexplicably lost her train of thought. She could nearly make out his eyes within the darkness of his cowl; flat, black, and lifeless, they caught the light and devoured it. The girl turned away.

"You're despicable," Aeris spat, shuddering as their evil aura washed over her, making her feel unclean. Nix clucked his tongue at her.

"Now, now, don't be snippy. Besides, you haven't even seen us in action yet!" He leered at her. He raised his right hand, and all of the Watchers tensed. What happened next occurred too fast for Aeris's eyes to see. As Nix started to drop his hand, there was a blur of silver and black. Nix leapt back just as Sephiroth landed, Masamune embedded in the ground.

"Sephiroth," Aeris murmured in a disbelieving tone. "You came for me."

He cast a look over his shoulder. "Have no delusions, Cetra. I only came back because I have some questions for you to answer, and you very well can't do that if you're dead."

Sephiroth straightened to his full height and leveled his sword at the Watchers. "So leave her be. Or at least wait until I've gotten my answers out of her." Aeris shot a dirty look at his back. _Even when he's saving me, he still acts like a jerk! _

"Sephiroth! You're looking well." Nix said conversationally. "I do hope that you've lost none of your legendary power."

"Do I know you?" sneered the General. Having been insane himself once, Sephiroth could easily identify when it had its fetid grip on others, and this Cetra in front of him was deeply in its clutches. His stomach clenched.

"Not in this life," replied the Watcher. "I am Nix, your Watcher, as I have already told your Queen."

_He knows of that story as well_, Sephiroth mused. _Perhaps Aeris told the truth. Of perhaps they're all trying to entrap me in their scheme. _

"I regret that I must cut this meeting short, however. We must be getting on our way, you understand." Nix's smile reminded Sephiroth of a corpse. "You, Sephiroth, will be helping us."

"I do not think so." He growled, taking a step forward.

Suddenly, there was a surge of power. Aeris had been concentrating hard; with Sephiroth protecting her—kind of—from the Watchers, she had found a little of her fear abating. She felt the warmth and strength of the half-soul beckoning to her. In her mind, it looked like the outline of a woman, filled with brilliant white light. She stretched out her hand and touched it. There was an explosion of music and color.

Sephiroth as well as the Watchers drew away from her, though the tainted Cetra seemed to be in pain from the light Aeris was now emitting. It was a lovely green glow, like the Lifestream. Aeris touched a finger to the green substance on her leg, and it shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Nix shouted angrily, but Sephiroth didn't hear. He was staring at Aeris. Her eyes were alert and bright, brighter than he ever could have imagined, and he could feel something inside of himself respond to her. It was almost as if he knew her, from even before he had first seen her when they had both been alive; he felt as if he had known her since the dawn of time. The light from her eyes swept over them in a blinding flash. As her glow slowly faded, a sense of melancholy fell over him and at that moment he would have done anything to see that beautiful light again. Sephiroth shook his head quickly and banished the foolish, foreign thoughts from his mind. Aeris, exhausted, gazed up at him.

"Sephiroth, we have to get out of here," she murmured. "I'll answer whatever you want, just please…please help me get away from them." The General was severely tempted to gloat over her, or to make a snide comment, or even to try to scare her again, but instead he held his tongue. The Watchers stumbled and rubbed at their eyes, groaning. The light had pierced deeply into their hoods, blinding them temporarily. They were helpless.

Sephiroth, never one to pass up an opportunity, moved forward, intending to wound each one seriously—but not seriously enough that they would die. Then he could get some answers out of them.

"You can't hurt them," Aeris gasped out. "Remember? They're Cetra!" Recalling his failed attempts to kill Aeris, Sephiroth halted. She was right. He could deal with these ten later. For now, she would have to do.

"Can you walk?" He asked coldly, without turning to look at her. Aeris struggled to her feet. The leg that had been hit wobbled dangerously, feeling like it was asleep. She tried to take a step, and squeaked when she was gathered up in Sephiroth's arms. Cradled against his mostly-bare chest, Aeris blushed. Sephiroth saw and frowned at her.

"Don't get any strange ideas, Cetra," he warned. "If I could get answers any other way, I would. Gladly."

Aeris had turned an even deeper red at his scolding, and her anger at him was evident in her tone. "I would never have strange ideas about you! We're enemies!" She bit her tongue. _I'm not supposed to be afraid of him anymore! We're not enemies…but we're definitely not friends. I guess we're just acquaintances._

"Well, right now, this 'enemy' is saving you. So be quiet and try not to slow us down." Leaving the Watchers behind, Sephiroth took to his heels. He ran so quickly and so smoothly that the exhausted Aeris, despite her trepidation at being in his arms and the lingering fear of the Watchers, soon fell asleep. Sephiroth noticed her slowed breathing and glanced down at her.

_Pathetic.__ Tired already. It is hard to believe that it was this ignorant slip of a girl that ruined all of my plans, as weak as she is. _He thought back to her display in the meadows by the Grove, of the pale green light that suffused everything, and admitted grudgingly, _Thought she does seem to have some hidden abilities just now coming to fruitition. Perhaps she is not as weak as she puts on. _

As the Watchers recovered, one by one, each gave vent to their feelings. Rari shook his head in despair and flexed his old, wrinkled hands, knowing that such an embarrassing failure would not have occurred had he been just a few years younger. Shaina huffed and pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at everyone around her. But Nix…Nix was the worst. Silent fury rolled off of him in waves. No Watcher dared to approach him, though they followed as he began to follow the trail left by the two Bearers. Only one did not appear enraged or upset.

Sephiroth continued to run. When he deemed that there was sufficient ground between himself and the Watchers, he stopped. They were by a small stream, shielded on both sides by several large trees. He sat down and laid Aeris against a tree, then settled down himself. She muttered lightly in her sleep. Exasperated, Sephiroth gave her shoulders a shake. Her eyelids slid open slowly, revealing two glimmering emerald orbs fringed with long lashes. She looked sleepy and serene, but Sephiroth was nonplussed. He gripped her shoulders tighter, the pain breaking through her haze.

"I want answers, Cetra. And I want them now." __


	17. Chapter 16

AN: Thanks to the faithful readers who've continued to review (especially to Luthien, who wrote several lovely reviews). I apologize for the shortness of this chapter; its ending fit better as the beginning of Chapter 17. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Sephiroth stared at her, demanding a response.

"What do you want to know?" Aeris asked thickly. Her mind was still fuzzy, having just been roused from what had been a comfortable and much-needed rest. She hadn't even realized how tired she'd been until the steady rocking gait of Sephiroth had lulled her to sleep. She would have protested him carrying her more than she did, but her leg had still felt numb where the odd green goo of the Watchers had solidified.

Now that the chance for him to discover the truth had finally arisen, Sephiroth found himself hesitating. What would he do if Aeris turned out to be telling the truth? _It will not change anything between us._ He composed himself and said without a hint of compassion, "Hojo experimented on you, correct?"

Aeris flinched. The mere mention of the Shinra scientist's name could still elicit a shudder. "A little bit, when I was young; mostly he experimented on my mother. Usually he would just run tests on me. Why?" Aeris couldn't help being curious; Sephiroth's interest in her past seemed sudden and, frankly, out of character. Inwardly, she wondered were Sephiroth was going with this; she also sensed that this could be important, perhaps even break through some of his skepticism about her.

He ignored her question and continued, appearing a little frenzied. "How old were you?"

Aeris frowned. "I…I don't remember."

"Think, dammit! It's important!" _I have to know if that little girl was you! She was one of the only people in my life who was honest with me. She knew…she knew about Jenova. _

She rubbed her eyes wearily. "Let's see. My mother was captured before I was even born. She was in captivity for a while…I'm not sure how long. Then my mother and father got married, had me…I suppose I was there from when I was a little baby until I was 6, when my mother and I escaped. I was brought back for a brief time when I was 22. That's pretty much it."

Sephiroth rocked back on his heels, thinking. She watched him, still confused, but remaining silent. His long silver bangs slid over his eyes, casting them into shadow.

"What do you remember?"

Aeris toyed with the hem of her sundress nervously. "Not much, really. I was young. I remember a laboratory that was always very cold, and everything was silver or white. There was Hojo, of course…ugh. The cell they kept me in, next to my mother's…"

Sephiroth's head was still down, hiding his face. "Do you remember meeting anyone there, in the labs?"

"In the labs…no, no I don't recall." She shrugged.

Sephiroth exhaled the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. _It's settled, then. The girl wasn't her. I was foolish to think it could have been. _

The Cetra in front of him shyly plucked at her dress. "I'm sorry I can't help you, Sephiroth. But anyway, thank you for saving me back there. I know you didn't want to, but I still appreciate it. Thank you."

His head snapped up and he glared darkly at her. "Don't mention it." The tone of his voice led her to think that he was deadly serious about her never mentioning it again. They sat for a while, a few feet apart, not looking at each other.

"So, you've seen the Watchers now," Aeris ventured. "They can hardly be called Cetra anymore; their auras have become so warped…"

"Yes." Said Sephiroth noncommittally. He turned his thoughts to the head Watcher—_Nix_—and felt a tingle run down his spine. The man's voice was oddly familiar, and it disturbed him, but a cloud seemed to fog his mind when he tried to place it.

"Do you believe what I told you before, then? About the Soul Prophecy and the Bearers?" Aeris forced her voice to remain steady. She knew it was important that Sephiroth believe her, but she involuntarily felt a tightness in her chest, as if his denial this second time would crush her heart. _I don't need his help_, she reminded herself. _I've been on my own before…_

In lieu of an answer, Sephiroth fixed her with blazing eyes that could have turned her to stone. "I do not believe you are lying…"

Aeris's hopes skyrocketed.

"…but I do not believe you are telling the truth. You, girl, are a puppet. Someone is pulling your strings and you are dancing just as they want you to. And your master is trying to ensnare me, as well." Sephiroth concluded. Aeris stared at him, gaping.

"What?! You're—" She stopped herself from saying 'crazy', but her meaning was clear. "You're wrong," she finished lamely. "Didn't you see the power that I used? I've never done that before. It's the power of the half-soul, I'm telling you. How else would I have been able to lift the Masamune? I read the news stories about it, back when I was alive; how you were the only person who could wield it, how weightlifters and swordsman tried and failed to use it."

_This girl just does not give up_, Sephiroth thought, irritated. He grabbed the Masamune off his belt, sheath and all, noticing with a smirk that the Ancient flinched. "Do it, then."

"…?"

"Pick up the Masamune. Then I will consider your story." The General unsheathed the great sword and pointed it at her. To Aeris's eyes, the Masamune exuded the same glow it had when it led her to where the Book of Bearers had been in the library. She gulped, and immediately felt all of her various aches and pains return to her weary body. The leg that had been trapped still tingled unpleasantly and her back and neck were sore, not to mention the thread that her mental well-being was currently dangling from. Sephiroth laid the sword on the ground between them.

_Okay Aeris, you can do this. You did it before, you can do it again. _She tried to psyche herself up and focus; in the back of her mind a million problems clamored for her instant attention. And all the while Sephiroth watched her, a smirk tugging at his lips, though his thoughts were much less obvious.

_Why am I even allowing this girl to humor me? I should have left her here already. I have to find a way out of here, back to the Planet…back to Mother. _The last words rang a little hollow; he had felt a little hesitant about adding them on, but he realized that he had no one else on the Planet to return to. At least, perhaps he could find a bit of Jenova that AVALANCHE had not completely destroyed yet, and…

Sephiroth shook his head. _What am I thinking…that failure clone would never rest until Mother was eradicated. So if I go back, I'm on my own. I have been alone before. I could still easily take over the Planet…_

But that would mean leaving the girl here, to face the Watchers alone. He quickly scoffed at the idea of his protecting her—_I would never sink so low_—though in the deepest recesses of his mind, he acknowledged that he did feel, slightly, a kind of attraction to the girl. Not really physical, although for a half-human she was rather pretty now that he looked at her; this attraction was more…well, spiritual. That strangle feeling of having known her before still tugged at him, and he would be damned if he allowed the mystery to elude him. After coming back to her once, he doubted that he would get too far before coming back again, if only to see how she was faring. It wasn't that he actually cared about her, no…it was…

A polite cough drew his wandering mind back over to concentrate on the situation at hand. He glanced at her, expecting to see the frail girl panting with exertion as she struggled to lift the sword. His eyebrows nearly touched his hairline when he saw her, Aeris, holding the Masamune in two hands and pointing it slightly upward, her small frame dwarfed by the sword that was nearly a foot taller than she. She was shaky and held the hilt all wrong, but she was holding it. Satisfied that she had gotten his attention, Aeris gave the Masamune a tentative swing. Her stance was awkward but her hands never faltered.

Sephiroth was speechless. He could not have been more surprised if a tree had uprooted and started walking around. It was simply _unnatural _to see his Masamune being wielded by someone else.

Aeris let her breath hiss out from between her clenched teeth. If he had looked closer, Sephiroth would have seen the strain making grave rows in her face and the droplets of sweat collecting at her brow. Her power was severely drained from all that she had been through today, making the already difficult task of swinging the sword twice as hard. But her eyes were as bright and clear as they had always been, perhaps even brighter. They asked Sephiroth without words or resentment _do you see? I could never do this by myself; it is the power inside of me, the soul that we share…it allows me to do as you do, because in all reality we are simply one. _

She offered him the Masamune back, and he grabbed it before sheathing it and putting it at his hip, his hand still staying on the hilt as if it needed the comforting solidness beneath it. Sephiroth took a stumbling step backwards, away from her. Concern appeared on Aeris's face, and immediately Sephiroth slipped back into his cocky demeanor.

"Alright then, Aeris. I am a man of my word. Perhaps you truly do have some inner power that even I could not see." He conceded. "But I refuse to consider that I have any part to play in this bizarre game you've concocted."

_I'm getting to him_, Aeris thought with a burst of triumph. _Keep going!_

"That's impossible, Sephiroth. You heard what the Watchers said. They need you to help them. They want to harness the power of the Bearers; that's why they've been hunting me…and now you, too."

Sephiroth shook his head. _I cannot be a Bearer, it's simply implausible…when I don't even know what I am. Mother said I was an Ancient; the dream-Aeris said I was a human, a monster…_

"You're not a full Cetra," Aeris said, as if reading his mind. "But that doesn't make a difference to the Planet. I am only half, myself. Cetra blood is powerful; in the eyes of the Planet, all who have even a drop of it are equal." She bit her lip, wondering if she should continue and say what she really wanted to, what she suspected he knew already: he was almost entirely human, with Jenova cells and Ancient blood mixed in. His face scrunched a little as he pondered, and Aeris's empathy wouldn't allow her to merely sit and watch. She would test him as she tested herself. She stepped closer to him and timidly rested her hand on his, both of them long-fingered and pale but his almost twice as large. Sephiroth jolted as if shocked. The memory he had recalled only earlier this day came back to him. He was an eleven-year old boy again, facing a little girl who regarded him with wise green eyes and who held his hand without disgust or fear, even when he yelled at her.

_"Stop playing pretend and acting like you know me!" _

Taken aback, the girl's lower lip trembled and she caught it between her teeth. But she did not remove her hand from his.

Caught in the moment, curious, and unsure of himself—of her, of everything—Sephiroth murmured the only thing that made sense to him, "Stop playing pretend and acting like you know me."

And Aeris, a spark of hope in her eyes, squeezed his hand tighter before releasing it. The loss of warmth and the divergence from his memory cut into Sephiroth deeply as a sword wound…before Aeris captured him in a fierce, desperate hug. His eyes widened in an expression of unadulterated surprise, but he didn't reject her like she expected. He just let her hug him.

They stood there, Aeris's arms wrapped around his back, Sephiroth's hanging limply from his sides, for a long time.

"I won't pretend; I don't know you, Sephiroth. But I want to, and I'm going to meet you…the real you…whether you like it or not." Aeris whispered, so softly it could have been the breeze, not even realizing that she had once spoken those very same words to Cloud, long ago. The gentle pressure of her body against his was decidedly foreign; he couldn't determine if he liked it or not yet, it was too odd. But perhaps, if she would hug him again, he could better decide if it was a good thing. Yes, another hug…and then, suddenly, the memory of every mistake he had ever made, every beating he had ever endured, came rushing back to him with the force of a punch to the gut. The old anger ambushed him, filling his veins with ichor and ire. This was wrong. She should not be touching him!

Sephiroth abruptly shoved Aeris away from him, ignoring the startled, hurt look on her face and pasting an irritated look on his own. "Are you quite finished?" He sneered. Aeris, not trusting her voice, nodded quickly. She didn't understand, and her incomprehension was plain on her face.

_I thought I was getting through to him! _She cried. _For a moment, when I touched his hand, his eyes lit up like a little kid's! He looked nervous, yes, and vulnerable, and wonderfully human! Oh, what happened?! _

From the way he was looking at her now, she knew he expected her to say something. Pushing her thoughts deep, deep down inside of her, she summoned a cheery smile and clasped her hands behind her back, an old habit of hers.

"So! What next?"

Sephiroth snorted. "You're asking me?"

_He's got a point_, she admitted ruefully. Aloud, she said, "Well, we're not going back to the City. I don't think the other Cetra would be very pleased to see you wandering about."

His glare intensified. "What do you mean, 'we'? When you asked what next, I assumed you meant what you were doing next…alone. I am perfectly aware of what I intend to do."

Aeris bristled at his superior tone and arrogant posturing, but realized belatedly that that's all it was: posturing. She instead smiled and asked pleasantly, "Oh really? And what's that?"

"I am going to find a way back to the Planet." He answered, noting her smile in bewilderment.

"What for? Jenova's long dead, Meteor can't be called again, Shin-ra's in ruins…there's nothing for you to return to." Aeris replied, simply and without malice. Sephiroth took it as an insult anyway, and as such took particular delight in his next words.

Grinning his trademark grin, he purred, "There is one thing for me to return to. Revenge. I owe Strife a visit. I must pay back the favor, you see; he sent me here. Now it's his turn."

As he had hoped, Aeris turned a sickly pallor and nearly sank to her knees. "There's no way to return to the Planet from here," she shot back unconvincingly.

"No way that you know of. I am infinitely more powerful than you; I will find a way." Sephiroth said confidently. Aeris sighed.

"I'm coming with you, you know," she deadpanned.

"No, you're not." With that, he turned and began marching away. The sound of light feet trotting to catch up with him irked him, but he didn't slow nor turn around.

"I can't just let you maraud around the Promised Land alone—" She started.

"What, afraid that I'll burn that City to the ground?" The General taunted. Aeris blasted him with a look so filled with emotion that he almost did stop in his tracks.

"Nothing like that. You may not think so, but you're different now. You're not the same man who terrorized the Planet. I was going to say that I…I want to stay with you. I believe in the Soul Prophecy. I can't watch my other half just go off alone." She turned bright red at the end of her spiel and giggled nervously. "Err…haha! Oh my Ican'tbelieveIsaidthat!"

It appeared as though Sephiroth was preparing himself to argue with her, and she braced for the torrent of snide remarks. It never came. He merely glanced away, seemingly unaffected, and grumbled, "Feh. Do what you like, Cetra. Just don't expect me to protect you."

"You're really going to have me come with you?" The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"I am not 'having' you, I am merely allowing you to walk in the same direction as me!" He snapped, squaring his shoulders and walking away again. The ridiculousness of the situation hit Aeris and she stifled a giggle. They were fighting over the wording of her sentence! It was something that she might have done jokingly with Cloud—

The thought of Cloud cut her ruminations short. Her relationship with Cloud was totally different; it was something beautiful and delicate, that could have blossomed further, if only. If only.

Her relationship with Sephiroth was—well, it was nothing. A connection was supposed to be there, underneath all of their personal insecurities and idiosyncrasies, but she refused to believe in it. _Sure, he's got the other half of my soul, but that doesn't mean we're supposed to be together. All I want to do is keep on eye on him, make sure he doesn't kill anyone or anything. And make sure the Watchers stay away. _

The odd couple headed west in an uncomfortable silence. Every so often Aeris would sneak a glance at Sephiroth's profile; his expression never deviated from that of cold, stoic determination.

The Watchers were close, Sephiroth could feel it. He could also feel the itch of Aeris's eyes upon him every few minutes.

_What is she looking at?! _He thought in exasperation and anger. This girl was truly an annoyance. It was a pity that he hadn't been able to kill her; it had only been five minutes and she was already proving herself a burden. A deep and secret part of him whispered, _that's not entirely true. If she were dead, you never would have seen that beautiful green light, the one that made you feel as though you were home…as though someone loved you._

Aeris almost bit her tongue in surprise. Sephiroth's carefully-schooled expression was broken by the appearance of a nervous tic. His right eye twitched crazily.

Coughing a little, to hide a laugh, Aeris increased her pace so he couldn't see her. Safely walking in front of him, she allowed herself a grin.

_Guess he's not as indifferent as I thought! _


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The velvet curtain of dusk had just fallen, and the stars were still only mere pricks of light in the sky. Down below, two figures made their way through one of the many thick forests of the Promised Land.

Sephiroth and Aeris had been traveling for the entire day. For the majority of that time, an awkward silence hung between them. At first, Aeris tried to initiate conversation with him, but he let her know quite early on that he had no interest in conversing with…with…

_Ah yes. With an inferior being_, he smirked as he remembered her face after he said that. She had looked as though she wanted to yell at him, but stopped herself and instead sighed and rolled her eyes. Then, Aeris had started taking aloud, mostly to herself. At that, Sephiroth sped up his pace so much that she got out of breath by walking and talking.

She didn't try talking anymore; instead, Aeris simply took in their surroundings, pretending like Sephiroth wasn't even there. And that was fine, until now of course.

Sephiroth grunted in annoyance as he heard Aeris pause, again, to admire the woods. _How this girl can derive amusement from a simple tree remains unseen_, he thought acidly. He stood in place as he heard the Cetra murmur words of amazement. The trees of the Cetra, far from being ordinary, shone with a beautiful silver glow. Their light captivated Aeris, and she couldn't help but take the time to inspect them.

"Are you quite finished?" She heard the General ask snidely. Flushing in embarrassment, Aeris mumbled an affirmative and took to trailing Sephiroth again.

_By the Planet, this man in infuriating! _Aeris thought before scolding herself. _You must be patient with him, he's having a hard time too I'm sure…_

They continued on their way in silence.

After some time had passed, Aeris considered asking Sephiroth where exactly he was going, but she had the sneaking suspicion that he didn't know; to question him would be to earn his contempt, which she had enough of already. So she held her tongue and followed the imposing black shape in front of her.

Until she spotted something—a clearing—out of the corner of her eye. Itching to explore, Aeris cast a furtive glance at Sephiroth, and began to sneak off to the right of their path.

An iron grip clamped around her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"

Aeris swallowed her negative feelings and smiled at him. "I'm exploring that patch over there!" Sephiroth frowned at her but said nothing. Taking initiative, Aeris rotated her arm under his hand and grasped her own hand around his.

"Let's go!" She took advantage of his surprise and tugged him towards the clearing. And caught her breath at what awaited them there.

In the middle of a small, perfectly-round and shallow pond, perched on a squat white pedestal, was a huge statue. Almost as tall as Sephiroth himself, the statue resembled a beautiful woman clad in strange armor. She had long, flowing air teased by an imaginary breeze, and a determined look on her carved face. Yet if one looked closer, a hint of sadness could be detected around the woman's large eyes and full lips.

Aeris's breath caught in her throat. "She's gorgeous! What an amazing statue…" She stepped forward lightly, craning her neck upwards to inspect the figure. "And her armor! Cetra in the Promised Land have no need for armor…she must have been a figure from the time when Cetra still lived on the Planet!"

Sephiroth remained silent, though he too gazed at the statue. Happy excitement surged through Aeris; with all of the fear and distress she had been through so recently, a good discovery seemed momentous. She easily slipped back into the bubbly, talkative girl she had been when traveling with Cloud and the others, perhaps forgetting that her only company now was Sephiroth.

"I wonder who she was!" Smiling widely, Aeris tested the waters with her foot; finding it only a couple inches deep, she strode directly up to the impressive carving and ran her fingers over the woman's boots—the only part she, being so short, could reach.

"It's so detailed," she murmured, more to herself than Sephiroth. "Look at these runes. I think this is the precursor to the written Cetran language that we use today! Wow." Aeris splayed her fingers across the toe of the boots, running them in the grooves of the sweeping, graceful curves of the Cetra writing.

Sephiroth knew it was wrong. It went against every fiber of his being, against everything his mother had told him, against the laws of nature themselves. But instead of admiring the statue, he watched the endlessly-circling, ceaselessly-prattling, annoying, confusing, and odd Aeris. The silvery trees cast an alluring light on her pale, youthful face. Her pink, bow-shaped lips moved rapidly as she spoke—though Sephiroth had tuned her out long ago—and every so often she'd flash her even, white teeth in a smile. With her wide emerald eyes, slender body, and wavy chestnut hair, Aeris looked as beautiful as the statue. Maybe even more beautiful—she lacked the statue's touches of sadness and age.

Sephiroth didn't realize Aeris was staring at him, waiting for a reply to something she said, until she coughed loudly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"What was that?" Sephiroth demanded, refusing to show her any signs of his discomfort.

"I said, doesn't she look like she's waiting for her husband to return to her?" Aeris pushed away her embarrassment at catching Sephiroth staring at her and any possibly inclinations that might give her and sighed. She clasped her hands beneath her chest. "How romantic…she must have loved him very much."

The wistful tone of her voice, the longing and then the pain in her eyes. Aeris wanted to be this woman from the statue. Thanks to him, she'd never had the chance. To what? Marry that pitiful Strife and raise a family of weaklings? Sephiroth's temper rose, and though he recognized it was irrational, he couldn't stop it.

"Girl, you try my patience!" The ex-general growled, whirling around. With his heated blood pumping in his veins from the strange mixture of irritation, confusion, and hurt that he had been surrounded with this entire bizarre day, Sephiroth couldn't help himself. He stalked forward and gave Aeris a rough push that sent her sprawling into the sculpture.

"Ow!" She yelped, banging her elbow against the stone. Angered, she prepared to shout at Sephiroth when she felt movement at her back.

A strange pulse was coming from the statue itself. It was almost…almost as though it had a heartbeat.

Aeris stilled, her anger immediately squashed. She could practically feel the statue's heart throbbing against her spine.

"Sephiroth," she whispered, not daring to move. Her fingers twitched against the statue's smooth surface. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at her.

"What is it now?" His perfect face turned slightly away.

"The statue…it's moving." Aeris tried to move her lips as little as possible. Nonetheless, the statue's pulse seemed to speed up.

"Don't be stupid," he scoffed, turning and pinning her with his eyes. "How could that thing possibly…" Sephiroth trailed off as he caught sight of the almost impalpable throbbing of the stone woman.

"Get off of that thing," he ordered with a carelessness he did not feel. Aeris glared at him, her anger resurging at his nonchalant tone.

"You were the one who put me here in the first place!" She snapped quietly, but remained slumped against the statue. A strange feeling swept over her, as though she should remain touching the mako woman, as though she wanted nothing more in the world than to lie here at her feet forever. Aeris struggled against that odd desire, recognizing it as an alien intrusion into her mind.

"Augh!" She jolted as she felt something being slowly sucked away from her and into the statue. It hurt so badly, it was almost as if her very soul was tearing away—_wait! The Half-Soul!_

The light in her eyes began to fade.

Perhaps hearing the same siren song, Sephiroth moved forwards. A strange look moved across his face; he was listening to a voice only he could hear. Ignoring the rapidly-weakening Aeris, he stood directly in front of the statue and unhesitatingly placed his hand on the stone woman's leg.

A green aura flared to life, surrounding both Aeris and Sephiroth. Motes of emerald light were quickly drawn into the statue, coating her surface until the only thing visible were her eyes.

And then, with a terrible rending noise, like the sky itself was tearing apart, the statue glowed all over with a blinding green light and shook violently. The spell was broken.

"Get away from there, you idiot!" Sephiroth yelled to the shocked Aeris, moving faster than her eyes could follow. He grabbed her roughly around the waist and dodged to the side, just as the statue exploded, fragments flinging everywhere.

"Sephi—" The girl screamed, before her voice was captured and devoured by the noise of the blast. She felt the impact of several rocks as they hit his back, but he never even flinched.

Nix halted in his pursuit of Aeris and Sephiroth.

Behind him, the others did as well. They exchanged nervous glances.

"What is it?" Shaina whispered. A smirk slowly spread over Nix's face.

"Can't you feel it?" He laughed to his flock of nine. When they remained silent, he whirled around to face them and continued triumphantly, "The seal's been broken! The seal preventing us from leaving the Promised Land has been BROKEN!"

There was a moment of unadulterated silence. And then—the young Watcher cried out, "That's impossible!"

Nix's shoulders shook as his laughter grew. "Not for the Bearers!" His insane laughter echoed, reaching even into the forest of the silver trees.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the rumbling tapered off and the bright green light faded away. Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder tersely, ready to fight if need be.

Aeris felt the change in him as he looked where the stone woman once stood. His body seemed to harden, in surprise perhaps. "Sephiroth. What is it?" She whispered, trying to peek around him. The ex-general loosened his hold on her and strode towards the small pool.

"Hey, wait!" Aeris scampered after him.

And stopped immediately, staring open-mouthed.

Where the lovely stone woman statue had once risen from a shallow pool, there was now a huge, deep, perfectly clear lake, with the woman statue now carved from a green, glowing material.

_Crystallized Mako_…Sephiroth understood with a jolt. _But how…?_

"What just happened?" The girl blinked slowly. She crept up to the edge of the new waterfront and peered into it. A tremble took over her entire body.

"Aeris?" Sephiroth asked. He started at the sound of the concern in his voice, and forced a steely edge into his next words. "Are you going to faint, or do some equally useless feminine gesture?"

To her credit, she ignored him completely, and kept staring into the waters. "Oh my God," she gasped. Both of her hands came up to cover her mouth, and tears rolled steadily down her face.

Wordlessly, Sephiroth strode up and knelt on one knee beside her.

Flickering in the lucid water were scenes of life on the Planet, as they were happening:

A family, consisting of a mother, a father, and two small children, having a picnic together on a grassy knoll. The children giggled and rolled around as their parents tickled them.

A herd of wild chocobos thundered over the golden sea of the plains.

A Bandersnatch gnawed on the meatless bones of some small creature, and licked its lips contentedly.

A family dressed in black, standing around a grave, mourning.

A rainforest, teeming with birds and furred animals.

A crowded street in Midgar.

A lonely mountaintop, covered in snow.

"Life…death…it's all there, all intertwined. We're looking directly at the Planet." Aeris said softly, her eyes red from tears. "I can't believe it."

"I can't believe it!" Rari threw off his red and gold robes, his wrinkled face joyful. "We can finally be free of this wretched place! No more hiding in the shadows!" He looked ten years younger.

Shaina followed suit, revealing an attractive young woman with sharp blue eyes. "We can take revenge on those pitiful humans!"

The Watchers shouted in victory as they flung off their robes; if they still possessed actual emotions, they might even have been moved to tears. The seal had been broken. They had no reason to hide their true selves, now that their escape from the Promised Land was at hand.

Only the youngest Watcher and Nix kept their robes and hoods on—though with a surge of power, Nix changed his from red to black.

Shaina scowled as she noticed. "Hey kid, don't you want to take those robes off? Those were just to hide from the Cetra with, you know!" Another Watcher slapped her arm and guffawed.

"Ah, leave him! He's had a rough enough time adjusting as it is!" The man, a veritable bear, turned to the taciturn young Watcher next. "Ain't that right, boy?"

But the boy was already walking away from them without saying a word. The burly Watcher looked to Shaina. "What's his problem?" She shrugged and sighed dramatically, motioning him to come closer.

"Nix said something once, about him having been too close to his change than what was necessary…if you catch my meaning." Shaine whispered.

"He had a relationship wit' the gal, then?"

Shaina nodded curtly.

"But his charge is…the Queen?" The Watcher mumbled as he figured it out, surprised.

She tossed a lock of golden hair over her shoulder. "Well, so it's rumored." They both looked to where the youngest Watcher now stood, atop a slight rise in the land. The gentle breeze had blown his hood down off of his head, and his black hair ruffled faintly.

Their musings were cut short by Nix, who had been concentrating hard. His outline fairly glowed with barely-hidden power, and Shaina almost felt bad for the Cetran King and Queen. But then she remembered the Planet, in all of its strength and glory, and how badly the humans mistreated it, and she hardened herself against them once more.

"They are still at the seal," Nix said, his voice ringing in the silence of the night. "If we hurry, we can catch them there. We fly!"

With that, he took off running at an extremely fast past, the long sleeves of his robe streaming out behind him like two black wings. Already, the power of the Planet was beginning to affect them, making them stronger, faster, better.

Grinning to each other, the other Watchers exchanged excited whispers as they dashed after him.

The girl seemed to have completely lost it. Aeris sat hunched over, staring unblinkingly into the pool of the Planet. Sephiroth snorted, but he too could not look away. It was…spell-binding, to see people's lives begin and end.

_I think I've seen enough of the latter_, he thought wryly. He sighed and crouched next to Aeris. One of her hands was outstretched, almost touching the unmoving waters. Underneath her fingertips, the happy family having a picnic abruptly shifted into a picture of a blond-haired man with cerulean eyes battling a monster. The person was unmistakable.

_Strife_. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed into mere slits as he gazed upon his mortal enemy. The familiar hatred bubbled up inside of his chest. Aeris's reaction at Cloud's appearance was, predictably, to break into a round of fresh tears.

_Planet, why am I being tortured? _She thought desperately, then tried to shake off the impending depression. _No, no! Be happy! At least now you can see Cloud; you know he's alive and well, and maybe even happy…_

Her emerald gaze followed each of Cloud's fluid movements as he dodged a swipe from the monster's claws and gave it a long slash across the back. His flaxen-blond hair was in the same spiky style, but longer; his eyes were just as blue, though perhaps a bit more aged and sorrowed. His powerful arms, much more developed than when Aeris had known him on the Planet, dealt the finishing blow. The monster slain, Cloud released a puff of air and wiped his forehead. He straightened, then looked quickly around…as though he knew he was being watched.

"Cloud," Aeris whispered. "Cloud!" She prayed that somehow, he would hear her. One of her tears dropped into the water, causing ripples to splay out and distort the images. Several more followed.

"Touching," sneered a voice coldly. Aeris stiffened as Sephiroth whirled around, Masamune already raised in a defensive position.

"Stay behind me." Sephiroth rumbled. Aeris nodded, watching fearfully as the Watchers settled in a crescent around them. Sephiroth's cool jade eyes surveyed them, refusing to show any nervousness at their admittedly-disadvantaged situation. The Watchers, in their full glory, stared them down. Their smugness was palpable, obvious in the set of their faces.

_Their faces! Their hoods are off! _Aeris realized with a start. _All except Nix and that other one…_

Nix spoke, his voice sibilant. "I must thank you, my Bearers. Without you doing what you just did, inadvertently as though it may have been, the Planet may have remained under the rule of those filthy humans for centuries."

"And what," shot back Sephiroth, "was that?"

Nix spread his hands wide, delighting in the knowledge. "Why, breaking the seal separating the Promised Land from the Planet, of course!"

"No…" Sephiroth heard the sharp intake of air from behind him. He ignored her.

"The seal is broken," Nix continued, "but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Now the pool must be freed and open for our use."

"You can't!" cried Aeris. _I've failed! Instead of keeping the Watchers away from the Planet, I've helped them gain access to it! _

"Silence," commanded Nix fiercely. "You have no idea of how long we have awaited this moment: our triumphant return to take back what is rightfully ours! Of course…"

His voice turned sweet. "Sephiroth…you can escape too. What does this land hold for you, except a life of running from the Cetra? The Planet promises freedom, a second chance, for all of us! You'd be a fool to turn that down." Nix said, in a tone of voice so reasonable Aeris almost didn't recognize it.

He turned his snake's eyes towards her next; she shivered as they raked over her body.

"The same goes for you, my Queen," he leered. "We all know that you continue to desire life. You cannot let go yet; you need closure of that chapter of your life. Without it, without returning to the Planet, you will never be happy again."

Grinning as he saw his words sink in, Nix took a step forwards, intending to get to the pool. He was stopped by the gleaming tip of the Masamune.

"How much of a fool do you take me for?" sneered the silver-haired man. "Your poor efforts to manipulate me will not work."

Nix spread his hands in a placating gesture. "Who is manipulating? If I was, you would surely know it." The smile turned ugly for a split second.

_Who are you really…? _Sephiroth mused, before the thought disappeared from his mind.

"Whether or not you choose to join us, my fellow Watchers and I are returning to the Planet," Nix said lowly, his threat implicit.

Faster than Aeris's eyes could follow, Sephiroth lunged forward, whipping back the Masamune and bringing it back around in a sweeping arc. It was a move intended to decapitate Nix, and it would have, had he not wavered and disappeared. The Watcher reappeared behind Sephiroth and kicked him in the back, just hard enough to cause the silver-haired man to stumble.

Furious now, Sephiroth jabbed his sword behind him without turning, but again Nix evaded him. Nix withdrew and Sephiroth pursued. After ducking under a blow from the Masamune, Nix popped up very close to Sephiroth and brandished two small, curved daggers in a quick motion. Twin cuts appeared on the General's face, underneath his eyes. Those same eyes widened in surprise; no one had ever gotten such a close hit on him, not since he was young and still weak. He recognized that Nix did it only to show to him that he was more powerful than Sephiroth took him for. Or was there another reason? He surged forwards again, noting careful that Nix had lashed his knives forwards, sending droplets of Sephiroth's blood flying towards the pool behind them.

_My blood and the girl's tears…_he realized. _That is what Nix meant when he said the pool was not yet freed._

Meanwhile, the other Watchers advanced towards Aeris and the pool. She stood up shakily, but knew she didn't stand much of a chance against all nine of them.

"Stay back!" She commanded, in a voice much more confident than she felt. Chuckles rippled around the group of tainted Cetra.

"I'll take care of this," Shaina said silkily. The others nodded briskly; they were all eager to get back to the Planet and the wealth of power that awaited them there. Aeris gulped. This woman Watcher was at least a foot taller than her, and much more shapely; her face was cold, cruel, and beautiful.

Shaina smiled. Her hands whipped out in front of her and grasped at Aeris. She flinched, expecting energy beams or green goo to fly out and hit her, but nothing happened. The Watcher stood there as though concentrating with all of her might. Shaina's hands seized up, like they were holding something invisible, and yanked upwards, still pointing at Aeris.

_No, not at me…_The girl realized belatedly. _At the ground beneath me!_

It was too late for Aeris to react. The grassy earth beneath her feet surged upwards, tossing her into the air like a rag doll. She impacted, hard, about fifteen feet away, and choked as she tried to breath.

A sharp bloom of pain exploded within her abdomen. As a healer, she could guess what had happened. _One of my ribs is broken_, she thought, taking quick shallow breaths. Shaina blew her a kiss and walked into the water. The other Watchers, except for Nix, were nowhere to be found.

_It was a diversion. She distracted me so the others could go right ahead! _Aeris cursed herself for her stupidity, her weakness. Blood trailed down her lower lip as she coughed, then winced as it jarred her broken bones. Aeris concentrated, straining to summon up her healing magic.

Nix flashed one more sickly smile at Sephiroth before plunging into the waters of the pool and disappearing.

"Dammit!" Sephiroth growled, cutting the air with Masamune. He hadn't managed to land a single hit on the man; if it was because his skills had suffered while he'd been in that infernal sleep, or if Nix were extremely powerful, he didn't know. All he knew was what he saw: the Watchers were gone, presumably back to life on the Planet, and Aeris was lying on the ground gasping like a fish out of water.

He saunted over to her, slowly, to show her he didn't care, then crouched next to her.

"What have you done to yourself now?" asked Sephiroth, resignedly. He was surprised when her face darkened with shame.

"I'm sorry," she said between gasps. "I couldn't stop them."

Masking his shock at her apology, he responded gruffly, "As if I expected you to!" Then, in a quieter tone, "Can you heal yourself?"

Her eyes clouded even more. "No," Aeris mumbled. "I think because my healing powers are connected to the Planet, and I can't hear it anymore…"

"Fine," Sephiroth sighed. A Cure material flashed as he drew it from his pocket and allowed the curative magic to embrace her. Aeris's drawn expression lightened as she felt her broken rib mend. She sat up, not looking at him, and whispered, "Thank you."

_That's another time you've saved me, Sephiroth. You're not as evil as you'd like me to believe._ She smiled secretly at the thought, knowing that he easily could have left her lying painfully in the dirt.

"Well, girl, this is where your tagging along behind me ends." Sephiroth said with finality, standing in one fluid motion.

"What do you…" Aeris blinked as understanding came to her in a flash. "You can't mean that you're going to…"

Sephiroth glared at her. "I meant it when I said I intend to have revenge."

"You were wrong back then Sephiroth, and you know it," challenged Aeris. "We all had roles to fulfill, and Cloud was just doing his. And you shouldn't trust the Watchers; doing what they say may seem like a good idea but it's all part of their scheme, I'm sure of it!"

"I'm strong enough to be more than a match for them." Sephiroth replied, keeping his anger at her words under control. "If you want to waste away here, then be my guest. You've outlasted your usefulness to me anyway."

Aeris's face turned red at that. "People shouldn't be evaluated simply on the terms of their 'usefulness', Sephiroth!"

"I am going back, and that is that. There is no point in your arguing with me." The General stated. Without so much as a backward glance, Sephiroth plunged into the clear pool and disappeared from sight.

Aeris gaped, not quite able to believe her eyes.

"Sephiroth!" She shouted, refusing to believe that he was really gone. "Sephiroth!" Fighting the mounting hysteria in her heart, Aeris thought hard.

_Okay. My options are: one, stay here and hope everything stays alright with the Planet with both Sephiroth and the Watchers back alive; two, follow them and…stop them, I guess; or three, go back home and forget any of this ever happened! _The humor tasted sour even in her own mind, and she chuckled mirthlessly. She knew what she had to do.

"So it's back to the Planet for me, I suppose," she said. The simple statement caused a paroxysm of joy, confusion, and reluctance through her, but really, it was the only option. If a situation arose—_and with the new inhabitants returning to the Planet, one definitely will_—she, Aeris, would be there to stop it, again.

She looked at the pool apprehensively.

Aeris took a deep breath and tried to stifle her fears. _This will work. It worked for the Watchers, it worked for Sephiroth, it will work for me. _She stared at the still pool for a moment, as though waiting for it to do something. Beyond it, she could see the whirling images of life happening on the Planet.

Aeris took one step closer to the edge of the pool. She paused, and looked back over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Mother. I…don't know if I'll be coming back anytime soon. I'm sorry." She whispered with a tremor in her voice, even knowing that Ifalna wouldn't hear. Then, with no further preamble, Aeris plunged into the watery depths, hoping that everything would turn out for the best.

It was then she discovered that the apparently-clear water of the lake was an illusion; it only masked the tumbling vertigo that was the Lifestream.

She felt the thick green liquid fill her nose, her mouth, her lungs. It swallowed her even as she thrashed and tried to escape. A rushing noise rumbled loudly in her ears, deafening her scream. Her heart clenched painfully inside her chest; numbness spread from her fingertips down to her feet. The Lifestream stung her eyes, like acid, and she thought she squeezed them shut. But that could just have been the darkness that enveloped her as she completely lost consciousness.


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Square-Enix is the sole owner of FFVII and all related characters. The only characters I own are Nix, Rari, Shaina and the rest of the Watchers, and I'd be willing to trade 'em.

A/N: Sorry for the ridiculous wait for this chapter. School is a bitch. I haven't given up on this story,though. I also have a one-shot and a Kingdom Hearts fanfic in the works...wish I could actually finish something, but oh well.Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 18

A silver-haired man laid face down in the snow.

The winds howled around his prone form, whipping up snowdrifts that slowly began piling up and obscuring him from view. He was entirely still, looking as though he had simply fallen asleep outside. If one looked closer, it was evident that he was dead: his back remained motionless. A lonely burial in the frozen north.

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open.

_Cold_, was his first living thought. Then, more slowly, he realized: _Cold! I can feel cold, and see…_He lifted up his head.

Stretched out before him, like a desolate white wasteland, was the Northern Crater. The site where he had been prepared to become a God…the site where Strife destroyed his mortal flesh and sent him to be imprisoned in the Promised Land.

Sephiroth began shifting upwards, but the stinging pain that attacked his body stopped him. He groaned and glanced down at his chest.

_Apparently the revival was imperfect_, he noted sourly. The area of his chest that he could see was covered with faint red slashes; the end result of Cloud's Omnislash. Additionally, the Northern Crater was not a good place, even for him, to be in this condition. His entire body ached from the numbing winds and his throat still tingled unpleasantly from the Lifestream.

Another blast of wind buffeted him, and he recognized that unless he found shelter quickly, his second stay on the Planet would be very short indeed.

Trembling with strain, he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. With a deep inhale, Sephiroth eased into a standing position. His wounds were much worse than he had first thought. Blood was trickling down his leather boots, staining the pure snow beneath him a sacrilegious pink.

He cured himself several times, and the wounds eventually faded; the bloodstains remained. Able to straighten now, Sephiroth took one tentative step, and then another.

It was difficult to see through the whirling snow and darkness, but Sephiroth could barely make out the shape of a cave. The Crater, he knew, had an extensive underground maze.

_Hopefully that is where I will find myself_, he thought. _And tomorrow, when conditions are more agreeable, I can make my way to the main continent._

Fighting knee-deep drifts, Sephiroth finally stumbled into the mouth of the cave. The air was musty, but at least it was warm and dry. He had to stoop slightly, the ceiling was so low.

Sephiroth went in about ten feet, then stopped. The sound of the shrieking wind was lessened considerably—not to mention his injuries still hurt.

Sephiroth's eyes searched the immediate area for tinder. Unfortunately, there were only a few brittle sticks strewn about.

_It shall have to do._ The ex-general collected what he could find, piled it into a small heap, and lit it easily with his innate magic skill. He slid down to the ground, feeling the rough stone of the cave against his back and the slight comfort of the flame before him.

Since he had jumped into the pool, his thoughts had been a mess and he now made a cavalier attempt to school them. So much had happened in such a short span of time. It seemed as though he had been awake for weeks, and yet he had only awoken a day or so ago. The dreams that had tortured him while he slept in the Promised Land were distant memories, although there was one that he remembered all too well.

The one that effectively told him his entire life had been based on misinformation and lies.

_The Cetra girl._ He didn't know why she popped into his thoughts just then, but she did. _I wonder if she got up the nerve to follow me into the pool. _

He remembered the other times he had seen her in dire situations: when he had just awoken and the Watchers had them cornered, she had summoned enough strength and courage to stay and fight—imagine, her protecting him!—and had been successful.

With a sour taste in his mouth, he concluded that the foolishly-brave Aeris had definitely followed him back to the Planet.

_If so, that merits the question of where she is. _Not that he really cared, but it was true that she knew of his return and of his plans.

_If she gets to Strife first…well, it wouldn't matter anyway. I would still kill him. I know him and his style now, and he is most likely out of practice. Even without the element of surprise, that failure clone has no chance. _

The thought of finally attaining vengeance for his own death brought a morbid smile to Sephiroh's face. He leaned back against the wall of the cave, drawing his coat tightly around his body. _Though I suppose I have no reason to kill her. I could allow her to live. _

He surprised himself with the thought. A bit shaken, he steeled his mind against her.

_No, no. I suppose I would have to. She's a traitor, after all. _He ignored the fact that if she was a traitor to her kind, it was only because she had freed him. _And she comes up with the most extraordinary lies—tales of half souls and Bearers, she and I sharing the same soul. _The idea almost made him laugh.

_The most powerful being in the world, sharing his soul with a weak little flower girl?__ Heh. A pitiful attempt to control me somehow. Her manipulation skills are weak at best._

Even he, who had only known her for a short while, had a hard time believing that Aeris could possibly manipulate someone. From what he had observed in the Promised Land, she was very open with her emotions; they were plain to see in her eyes, the set of her mouth, the stance of her body. He wanted to dismiss her as being foolish and naïve, but perhaps she possessed a maturity alien to him. And as much as he hated to admit it, her talk of Half-souls had intrigued him, made him pause and listen. The idea of it was tempting to believe in—that he was destined for someone, that he was not a monster, that he could one day be…whole.

It would explain why he had felt incomplete for all of his life. Alone and unwanted, except for when his strength could serve some higher-up's dark purpose.

Sephiroth ruthlessly stopped this line of thought. _It almost sounds as though you regret your past. _He stared into the small fire in front of him, reminded against his will of Nibelheim, the screams and the blood. The nightmares he had suffered while in the Promised Land lurked on the edges of his consciousness, the cries of the dead demanding vengeance, damning him.

_Stop it, stop it, stop it. _He could feel his tenuous grip on his emotions slipping. If he lost it…he recognized what would happen, even if he wouldn't admit it aloud.

_I would not be able to live with myself. If I allowed myself to regret any one action, the gates would be broken. I would never cease to hate myself, to feel guilt, and so my return to the Planet would be for naught. _

Sephiroth forcefully turned his mind away from the dangerous path of regret. He was strong, and remorse was weak. It wouldn't change anything, anyway. Who would even believe him, if he presented himself as something other than a psychopathic killer?

_Stop it. _He ordered. _Think about something else. _

Aeris and the dreams.

She had shown him disturbing images, of Hojo and a woman named Lucrecia, and Jenova half-frozen in the ground; she had told him he was not Jenova's son, but the son of human parents, normal except for the fact that he had had Jenova cells injected into his body since before he was born.

The real Aeris had told him that he had Cetra cells in him; Hojo had been unsatisfied with mere Jenova cells, and altered some Ancient samples he had to be compatible with Sephiroth's body.

_"You were right to believe you were a god_, the dream-Aeris had said. _A god with dominion over the very Planet.__ You should rule, not the humans. Look at how much they have hurt the Planet already!"_

His soul was split, and yet it was already this powerful. If united with hers in some way, he would be unstoppable.

He _would_ become a god. And this time, no one could stop him. He'd be doing it with the power of the Planet's own chosen.

But the real Aeris, when hehad awoken,had said something far different.

_"The Bearers are immediately made the King and Queen of the Cetra. They rule fairly and with kindness, and under their rule, the Cetra flourish."_

And so she would never agree to help him, that was for certain. Most likely she would die first. She had also mentioned that the Bearers were protectors of the Planet, the greatest of the Cetra—therefore, those who could never hurt it. He frowned, realizing that information conflicted with what he had seen in his dream.

Unbidden, Sephiroth saw her eyes in the darkness. Hers truly were mirrors into her soul—a lovely green just a shade darker than his own, that could never hide the wide range of feelings she seemed to constantly exhibit.

There had been fear in those eyes, yes, but there had also been strength and confusion and one emotion he could not—or would not—allow himself to identify.

_I will not go out of my way to find and eliminate her,_ he finally decided, as a sort of compromise to himself.

_But if we should cross paths again…_Sephiroth's smile turned sinister.

He closed his beautiful jade eyes, and forced himself to sleep. Before he fell completely into unconsciousness, as his defenses and hang-ups began to dissolve, he wondered where Aeris was right now, and if she was alright.

* * *

"NO!" The inhuman shriek echoed throughout the alleys of Midgar. 

Pedestrians on the street paused; the older among them remembered having heard similar cries, back in the dark days when the plate still hung over their heads. Those were sad and desperate times, and people were often driven mad—the cry that had just lingered in the cool air was a troubling, unpleasant flashback. Before Holy, before Meteor, before the fall of a near-god and the sacrifice of a girl changed everything.

Midgar had been a city at its nadir. It had never been a cultural center, or even that great of a place to live, but for a while it had been clean, and safe, and free. Then Shinra, a small power company that had been quietly acquiring other companies through methods both fair and unsound, exploded onto the scene. They erected the Shinra building, a towering 69-floor monstrosity. They slammed the plate atop of the Sectors, turning what had previously been a decent area to live into slums. Whoever spoke out against them disappeared under mysterious circumstances. There were whispers of a secret police force, the TURKS, who obeyed only President Shinra.

Shinra didn't have to buy out the government at that point; they were the government.

Slowly, people forgot what the sun looked like.

To the common Midgar inhabitant, what happened over the next six years or so was frightening, strange, and incomprehensible at intervals. Odd events began occurring with greater intensity.

People who had relatives in Nibelheim lost contact with them.

Shinra's prized General, Sephiroth, was lost in a reactor accident.

Monster attacks increased.

The terrorist group AVALANCHE bombed several reactors across the continent.

President Shinra was assassinated and his son Rufus took over.

The plate fell.

There was peace for a while after that; ignorance is bliss. The common Midgar inhabitant missed the constant battles, the struggle and the pain that Cloud and the others faced everyday. They missed Mideel, and the pieces of Jenova's body, the Temple of the Ancients and the Ancient City. Their ignorance was brutally shattered by the presence of a dark sphere in the sky, burning red with malevolence.

Bits and snatches of the truth began seeping into Midgar from all corners of the globe: an archeologist in Bone Village watched a young woman walk through the Sleeping Forest and the trees parted for her. Flames from Nibelheim and then houses again. A Shinra airship that fled from or fired upon its own kind.

Tales of a man with bright golden hair and cold blue eyes, who would soon become one of the most famous people on the Planet—Cloud Strife, who somehow saved the world. Neither he nor any other member of AVALANCHE ever talked about what happened at the Northern Crater, leaving the populace to wonder and dream. All they knew was that as Meteor had been about to slam into their city, a pulsing white light called Holy and the glowing green strands of the Lifestream had merged and destroyed it.

Cloud did talk about a girl, a slum-dweller, one of their own. Aeris. She had given her life for the Planet, Cloud said. She was the true hero. The monument that stood now in Midgar's main square was dedicated to all of AVALANCHE, but Aeris's name came first. Truly, the Midgar of today had come a long way from what it had been under Shinra's reign.

Most of the places hit by the clash of Holy, the Lifestream and Meteor had been rebuilt. One area, however, remained in ruins: the Shinra building. No one wanted to resurrect the very symbol of aristocracy, to leer down at them once more. And so it remained shattered and broken, debris strewn about. It was commonly held that monsters had taken hold of its lower regions. No one was surprised at that; after all, monsters of the worst kind—men with evil in their hearts—had lived there when the building was perfect.

And now, perhaps the worst monster of all had returned to the realm of the living.

Nix frantically surveyed the area, then shook his head fiercely.

"This isn't right! I weren't supposed to reincarnate where we had died! We were all supposed to appear, together, in the Temple of the Ancients!" He slammed his fists down onto the metal floor.

"Planet," he snarled. "This was your doing!" Only silence answered him. He, like the rest of the Watchers, would remain forever deaf to the Planet as punishment for their traitorous actions. Though sometimes the Watchers would catch snatches of heavenly music and swirling colors, it was anathema to them.

Nix stiffened in pain and released a wordless cry of rage as he felt old wounds—the wounds that had killed him—open on his body.

"This is not right!" He repeated, wincing as he touched the cuts. "The resurrection was supposed to have been complete!"

Nix stood with some difficulty. He lacked the materia necessary to heal his wounds, and the Planet would never allow him to borrow its power to heal, as Aeris could do.

He looked around the room he was in, and smiled as he realized just where he was.

"I believe I'll be able to make the best with what I have." With that, he began puttering around in the cabinets and countertops. Everything was just how he had left it, except covered in dust.

_I'm sure no one would come down here, even if they knew about it_, he mused. A sickly grin graced his pale face. _Too many bad memories._

He moved towards a white machine sitting on one of the tables, and brushed the sticky cobwebs off of it. He began flipping switches, testing it; one of the small generators it was connected to had been destroyed and thus is was much weaker than usual. Nix searched around in some drawers, and finally found what he was looking for: a vial of crushed green powder. He poured it into the slot atop the machine, which began to hum. Nix quickly attached a hypodermic needle to a tube protruding from the machine's side, inserted it carefully into his forearm, and sighed as a liquid seeped slowly down the tube and into his arm. He sat there for ten minutes, simply allowing the green liquid to enter his bloodstream. His gashes slowly closed up, the only evidence of wounds being the bloodstains on his clothes.

Healed, Nix detached the needle and began to stride around the eerie room. Pacing had always helped him think, back when he was alive.

"I know where Shaina will be, that fool girl. Rari should be by the graveyard outside Midgar." He mumbled to himself, arms folded behind his back. The others were scattered, from locations in the wilderness to Icicle Inn. "Our power is severely divided, separated as we are, and I cannot be bothered with traveling simply to collect them."

Nix tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Surely they all know where I am. I will have to wait here, for them to arrive." His eyes slid over the room, with its dusty and sometimes-destroyed equipment. The thin man couldn't help smiling as he gazed over the remains of a floor-to-ceiling glass tube, a hole punched through one side and the floor sprinkled with pieces of it.

"However, that still leaves me with the most important question of all." Nix sighed, turned away from the tube and rubbed his eyes, very tired all of the sudden.

_Where is Aeris?_

* * *

Floating, drifting. 

Aeris had lost sense of time. She hovered in an in-between state of awareness and unconsciousness. The Lifestream surrounded her naked form, clothes long since burned off by its acidic properties. Her hair swirled around her like seaweed. Fat bubbles hovered slowly here and there, occasionally popping. There was no sound.

Her mind sluggishly tried to revive her.

_Wake up! WAKE UP!_

She did.

At the bottom of a lake.


	20. Chapter 19

AN: Can you believe it? This story and I are alive! I am so, SO sorry it has taken me this long to update. It's really inexcusable and I wouldn't blame any one of my wonderful reviewers if they didn't come back to read this. However, it was precisely because I was browsing through the latest reviews and saw how many people liked this story that I decided to start working on this again. Thank you all so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter, which has been several years in the making, haha. Does anyone have any guesses as to who the Watchers are, by the way? If you even remember them, since it's been so long! I've given them all names now (bit of an Easter egg for my fave commenters) but please let me know if I've made a mistake and named too many or something. And thank you, thank you, thank you again for all of your kind comments!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related characters are © Square-Enix. The only thing I've got are the Watchers, and I think I'd trade them for Aeris and Sephiroth…

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Chapter 19

Aeris blinked and took a breath before she realized where she was, and a huge gulp of water choked her. She gagged and screamed underwater, feeling the pressure of tons of liquid squeezing down on her. Frantically, Aeris sat up and pushed from the sandy lake bottom, kicking her feet with as much strength as she could muster.

_It's too deep! I'm going to die again!_Her mind screamed as her arms flailed, groping, desperate._PLANET! _

There was a wordless song of joy inside her head, an explosion of happiness. Beneath her, the water churned and surged upwards, propelling her up to the surface. She was thrown several feet into the air before landing back in the water with a splash. Aeris coughed violently, spitting up as much fluid as she could, before wiping her eyes and looking around.

She was floating on a bed of froth and foam, spluttering, weak, but alive. The buildings of the Ancient City glimmered on the near shores. The brightness of the sun burned her feeble eyes, unused to real sunlight as they were. The cool wind blew on her cheeks, tangled in her hair.

_I'm alive…_She inhaled, her first breath of air as a living girl again, and laughed from the pure simple joy of it.

A dull, throbbing ache in her lower chest told her that might not be such a good idea. Aeris looked down at herself curiously, and couldn't help the agonized moan that escaped her lips.

The fatal wound that Sephiroth had dealt her, on that day so long ago, remained. Blood fanned out across her dress, slid down her stomach.

Aeris whimpered and pressed her hands against the gash, feeling warmth gush against her fingers. Sephiroth wasn't here to get her out of this one.

"Cure," she gasped, her mind scrabbling for the threads of power that connected her to the Planet. There was a moment of numbing fear, and then a welcome wave of strength surged into her body, gathering around the hole in her abdomen. The Planet hummed and lent her its power. Aeris could feel her flesh regenerating and skin mending beneath her fingers, an odd sensation to be sure.

The girl sighed in relief as the glow faded; the injury was completely healed. And perhaps even more importantly…

_Planet_, Aeris said. A happy, low-pitched thumming answered her, and soft colors of blue and green embraced her mind.

_I've missed you so much! _Tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes.

_The Planet has missed you as well, last daughter,_ came the soothing reply, in the warm and ages-old voice of her guide and greatest friend. A piece of her, lost for so long, was back where it should be. The Planet wrapped her in a warm breeze, almost an embrace.

Sitting on the bed of foam in the lake of the Forgotten City, exhausted, bloody, and _alive_, Aeris wept.

* * *

Soon, though, with a gust of cold wind, the reality of her situation hit her. She was cold, tired and alone, with no food or warm clothing. If she wanted to survive, she had to reach civilization. And if she wanted to make sure her friends survived, she had to find Sephiroth.

The Planet nudged her towards shore with gentle, lapping waves. Her feet touched the cool pebbles and she gasped, almost overcome by the simple sensation. They felt so good, so wonderfully solid beneath her bare toes.

_Wait, bare…?_ Aeris wiggled the appendages and cast a look back at the lake. Her big, clunky brown boots were gone—worn away, perhaps, or eaten by underwater creatures. In fact, she was probably lucky to be wearing anything at all, she realized, plucking at her thin pink dress.

Aeris wrung out her long chestnut hair and piled it in a bun on top of her head, already shivering in the cold. She rubbed her hands together, savoring the simple sensation of skin against skin. Even the cold breeze that sent goosebumps up her arms was a welcome change from the nothingness that the Promised Land provided. Shaking off as much water as she could, Aeris allowed the Planet to seep to the back of her mind as she took in her surroundings. The Ancient City looked exactly as it did when she died: aloof and silent but for the whispers of her ancestors and the steady throb of the Lifestream.

_I wonder where Sephiroth is, and how he's doing…_She thought, before catching herself. _I'm sure he's fine. I've got to worry about myself first._ Nonetheless, Aeris bit her lip and hoped that he was far, far away from the Watchers. Though they didn't seem to want to hurt him outright, like they did her, they certainly had proved themselves manipulative and deceitful—two traits that had fooled Sephiroth in the past.

_So perhaps I really should try to find him first? _Aeris worried. _If I awoke here, then he must have awoken at Northern Crater…_ Her muscles protested at the very thought that she was strong enough now to attempt getting to the Crater; monsters aside, the cold alone would probably kill her. If she were to hurry, though, gather clothes and provisions soon, she could head to the Crater tomorrow or the day after and hopefully intercept the General. It hurt, but she couldn't go to her friends right now, no matter how badly she wanted to see them again. As odd as it sounded, Sephiroth would need her help—whether he wanted it or not.

_To Bone Village it is, then_, she decided. Hopping from one foot to the other to keep the blood flowing, Aeris Gainsborough, once the last Cetra, began walking barefoot down the overgrown path to home.

* * *

It took all day—from the path of the sun across the sky, Aeris estimated six or seven hours—to reach the village. The Planet, overjoyed at having its friend back, did what it could to speed her journey: making sure she took the easiest path, as well as advising her on the locations of monster nests, edible berries and the like. It still was hard going, and by the time Aeris broke out of the cover of the trees, she was exhausted. The soles of her feet ached, her calves burned and her head swam. The rapidly-approaching dusk reduced visibility and caused her to stumble more than once.

Weariness dragging her down like a lead-lined cloak, Aeris made her way to the first tent she spotted. The Planet trilled in her mind, reassuring her that the archeologists here would help her.

"Hello?" She said, then cleared her throat. "I hate to bother you, but I'm a…traveler who has lost her way…" The girl waited a moment, then leapt back in surprise when a head popped out of the tent flaps before her.

"Missy, what in the world are you doin' here?" The grizzled old miner asked her, not maliciously but with concern. "And dressed like that? You'd hafta be a darn fool to try travelin' in that!"

"Umm," Aeris defended herself. The man's head vanished back within the tent. Aeris's brows knitted; her tongue felt heavy and she wasn't quite prepared to deal with a man like this, so soon after her resurrection.

The miner reappeared, this time stepping fully out of the tent, carrying a sleeping bag as well as an oversized sweatshirt, jean overalls, thick socks and a pair of boots. He grinned at her, kindly brown eyes twinkling.

"But I'd be a darn fool if I turned you away," he said. "You wouldn't last though the night, not in this weather. Besides, we don't get many visitors up here, not since that odd band of people came passin' through a coupla years ago."

Aeris's heart sank. "Were they led by a man with Mako-blue eyes and blond hair?"

"Sure were, missy," the miner said as he ushered her over to an empty tent. "You don't ever fergit a group like that! They were nice enough, though. We may not have a lot here, but we already try to treat strangers well." He dumped the supplies in her arms.

"You can have this tent; there's some crates inside but there's more'n enough room for a twig like you to sleep." He paused. "Where did you say you were travelin' to again?'

Aeris bit her lip. The man would think she was crazy if she told him Northern Crater. "Midgar," she answered.

"Missy, you're in luck! We got a loada supplies comin' in tomorrow or the day after from Midgar. I'm sure they wouldn't mind takin' you with 'em!" The miner smiled. She smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks." _That's what you get for lying!_

"M'name's Jacob," the miner said. "Call me if you need anything, and don't worry, the other guys won't bother you. Breakfast is at 5 a.m. sharp." He tipped his hat to her.

"Thank you, Jacob," she murmured, watching the man grin and retreat to his own tent. It was only as she slipped into the socks that she realized he had never even asked for her name.

_It's reassuring to know that good lives on in the hearts of humans_, Aeris thought, closing her eyes. _After experiencing bits of the darkness that the Watchers possess, this is…nice. All the more reason to stop the Watchers from destroying them…a race with so much potential._

* * *

Nix had been right in his assessment: the Watchers were scattered far and wide. However, unlike Aeris and Sephiroth, they anticipated the details of their resurrections much better. Already six of the Watchers, almost fully recovered from their dip in the Lifestream, had assembled in Nix's laboratory. The other two were on their way from across the continent. Only one hadn't found some way to get in contact with him, and he wasn't surprised at who it was.

"Whaddya think happened to Constantine?" Raze asked for the twentieth time, lounging against a dissection table. Nix fought the urge to roll his eyes at the bearlike man and instead busied himself by preparing another injection.

"The fool probably daydreamed himself off a cliff," Shaina laughed harshly. "He always had his head up in the clouds."

"I don't think he ever wanted to be one of us," Raze said thoughtfully, his face almost childishly innocent. Shaina scowled.

"Where does desire come into it? We didn't choose to be Watchers any more than we choose to take breath," she snapped. "The Planet decided that fate for us. We do this now for the Planet because it is only right. After seeing what these pathetic humans have done to the Planet, how can we be content to guard a King and Queen who squander their power and remain leaders of a dead race in the Promised Land?"

Raze had picked up an empty beaker and now toyed with it carelessly. "I dunno…I guess I've always thought we all have choice in what we do. Without it, we're just animals living until we die, right? And that maybe one choice is never better than another. I think."

"Well, good thing we don't need you for your thoughts," Shaina sneered.

"Hey!" Raze glared at her. "That isn't very nice!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Nix suddenly growled, turning to face them. "This is not the time or place for a philosophical discussion!" His flat black eyes fairly glowed within the depths of his hood and other Watchers quickly fell silent.

"Nix…?" Rari tried.

The head Watcher looked at their expectant faces and realized that they were waiting for him to make a decision. They were all humming with pent-up, nervous energy. After being so long dead, they were ready for action, for the battle, for glory. Nix smiled. Though he himself was one of the younger Watchers, having ascended to the Promised Land decades (or in some cases, centuries) after the others, he had trained them well.

"We waste time hiding here," Nix said with finality. "We can't wait the others to arrive. Our powers are strong enough without them. So. We shall go to Northern Crater and find Sephiroth there, no doubt. We _will_ sway him to our side."

"All of us?" Raze asked. "But what about—"

"Constantine can join up with Noa and Morriga," Nix said, naming the two in-transit Watchers. "They should be more than enough to handle the Queen. She lies in Ajit, to the north."

"But can he be trusted, Nix?" A female Watcher, Vinaes, butted in, hand on one hip and blond-streaked brown hair falling over her shoulders. "You've had doubts about his fealty before." No one questioned Nix, powerful as he was. Yet though she was almost a head shorter than every other Watcher, Vinaes was close to his level of strength. She alone had mastered healing without depending on the Planet's magic, but instead by stealing the life forces of others—making her a vampire of sorts. He respected her for that, and so allowed her question.

"Constantine knows what he must do," Nix said. "Any life he had before the Watchers is over now."

"I will go to the Crater with Shaina and Rari." Nix continued. "Luthien, you take Vinaes, Ave and Raze. Procure us another headquarters, somewhere inconspicuous in Edge. Begin gathering as much material as you can, and continue monitoring Strife and his merry band. But make no move yet."

Luthien nodded curtly, his long black hair bobbing with the motion. "It will be as you say."

"It truly is a pity that the Queen is so averse to us," said Ave, toying with a feather braided into her hair. "With the Half-Souls joined and under our power, all would easily be under our dominion."

"One Half-Soul is better than none at all," Nix replied, though a frown flitted across his shadowed face. "Naturally, I would much prefer to keep her alive. However, if she refuses to cooperate and remains a…civilizing influence on Sephiroth, she will have to be disposed of. With the Queen dead and without his Mother, Sephiroth will be hollow, easily manipulated…"

_I can't help but feel that we underestimate her…the others did not interact with her as I did. Her determination, as well as that pure heart, make her a Queen truly to be reckoned with. _Rari adjusted his glasses and looked down, but kept his thoughts to himself. _Nix, I supposed, knows best. He has proved himself time and time again. _

The Watcher in question turned to Shaina. "Contact Noa and Morrain and give them their new orders." The blonde nodded and whipped out a sleek black cell phone. Raze gaped at her.

"Where'd you get that?"

"I picked it up before coming here. Don't you remember? We were all supposed to do that." Shaina said, before muttering, "Moron," under her breath. She dialed and waited for a moment before a husky "hello?" rang in her ear.

"Morriga, change of plans…"

Nix turned to the rest. "Now," he smirked. "You all know what to do. We fly."


End file.
